Photo By Jonathan Koester | Australian Army Captain Chris Wetherell (left) from the 7th Combat Brigade works with...... read more read more
By Cpt. Taylor Lynch
Australian 7th Combat Brigade
Australia's 7th Combat Brigade and supporting elements from the 6th Brigade worked to strengthen ties with the Australian Army’s strategic allies and partners during the Joint Warfighting Assessment 2021 (JWA 21) at Fort Carson, Colorado.
ADF personnel left Gallipoli Barracks in early June to participate in the multi-national exercise, allowing the 141 soldiers to practice fighting against a notional enemy alongside the US Army, Canadian Army, and British Army, with the Australian’s using a computer-generated concept of what Army will look like in the year 2028.
Working long days and nights, the Australian contingent planned their maneuver for the notional war for weeks before the exercise commenced via the 24/7 digital simulation.
Brigade Major Sam Thackray was impressed with the contingent’s efforts during the planning phase, allowing the Australians to get a decent start when the simulated conflict began.
“JWA 21 presents a unique opportunity to work in a multinational division, assessing our interoperability with our partners in a simulated environment,” Thackray said.
“The 7th Combat Brigade team were extremely well-prepared for the activity, conducting two exercises prior to deploying to Fort Carson to develop the knowledge required to participate effectively.”
Thackray highlighted the advantages of being able to work in person with the ADF’s strategic partners in the US Army, Canadian Army, and British Army, and was grateful for the opportunity to deploy to the United States.
“7th Brigade have made a significant contribution to the ADF’s support on domestic operations, including floods, bushfires and COVID-19 in the past 18 months, so we are making the most of the experience to update our warfighting foundations,” he said. “For many of our people, this is their first time training in a multinational team; they are enjoying the experience of employing future capabilities and learning plenty. It’s a privilege to represent the ADF overseas.”
Commander of the 7th Combat Brigade Brigadier Jason Blain was pleased with how JWA 21 was progressing, outlining the importance of combined exercises with our strategic partners.
“At any time, Australia has around 500 Defense personnel in the United States working alongside our US counterparts,” Blain said. “Our alliance is our strongest defense relationship, forged through fighting side-by-side on combat operations for over 100 years.
“The relationship is underpinned by cooperation through training exercises like the Joint Warfighting Assessment, combat operations, shared intelligence, capability development, and deep people-to-people links,” Blain said. “To be able to also share this learning experience with partners from the British Army and Canadian Army is a unique and valuable opportunity. Exercises like this remind us of our strong ties.”
All ADF personnel deployed on JWA 21 will continue to fight the simulated battle from Fort Carson until the end of June, completing their 14 days of quarantine in Australia before returning to work.
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2021 10:20 |
| Story ID: | 399737 |
| Location: | AU |
| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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