Photo By Cpl. Earik Barton | U.S. Air National Guardsman with 446th Airlift Wing, a Royal Australian Airforce...... read more read more
Subscribe
Nearly 10,000 miles separated Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, from Mount Bundey Training Area in Australia’s Northern Territory, as U.S. Marines and Sailors prepared for Rapid Deployment Exercise 2024, from July 9 to Aug. 13.
REDEX is an annual exercise led by 1st MARDIV. This year, 1st LAR Bn. rehearsed rapid deployment from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, to Australia to reinforce Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3’s participation in a large-scale training exercise. The Marines and Sailors arrived in Adelaide, South Australia, July 10, as part of REDEX.
The Marines and Sailors, along with LAV-25 Light Armored Vehicles, flew into Royal Australian Air Force Base Edinburgh, on two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. RAAF Base Edinburgh is located approximately 20 miles north of Adelaide. Working with U.S. Air Force strategic lift further enhances the MRF-D 24.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force and 1st MARDIV’s ability to integrate with joint capabilities, providing commanders with a variety of resources to accomplish the mission.
“We were trying to see if we could move a lot of heavy equipment from the United States in a timely and rapid manner,” said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Juan Banuelos, a vehicle commander with Alpha Co., 1st LAR Bn. “We had multiple different units from multiple different countries participating for the same goal.”
They also integrated with Australian Defence Force Joint Logistics Unit (South) which facilitated transporting LAVs from RAAF Base Edinburgh to the railhead for further transport. This provided the opportunity to build relationships and set the stage for future training in South Australia.
Members of 1st LAR Bn. and MRF-D 24.3 traveled by Royal Australian Air Force aircraft from RAAF Base Edinburgh to the Northern Territory, located on the opposite side of the continent, while the LAVs were loaded onto rail for transportation. This combined air and rail movement provided realistic integration into Exercise Predator’s Run 24.
The Marines and Sailors consolidated in Darwin, Northern Territory, prior to driving the LAVs to Mount Bundey Training Area, located approximately 70 miles east of Darwin, for Exercise Predator’s Run 24. Exercise Predator’s Run 24 is a littoral-focused, multilateral training exercise led by the Australian Army’s 1st Brigade, providing MRF-D 24.3 the opportunity to conduct training missions as a Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
“A lot of moving parts, a lot of coordination, a lot of planning,” explained U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Marcos Luna, the operations chief for Alpha Co., 1st LAR Bn. “We only had about 24 hours upon receiving those vehicles to get them ready and execute Predator’s Run.”
Upon arriving at the training area, 1st LAR Bn. joined MRF-D 24.3’s ground combat element, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (Reinforced), in support of a warfighting exercise.
“Upon inserting, we immediately started getting fragged with missions in supporting the GCE,” said Luna.
After the warfighting exercise, the Marines and Sailors participated in a combined arms live-fire exercise, where the Australian Defence Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and United Kingdom Armed Forces rehearsed a large-scale attack using live ammunition. The CALFEX culminated Exercise Predator’s Run 24, showcasing the cohesion and effectiveness of the multilateral force.
“We continued to build cohesion with the ground combat element, but also with the Australians and British Royal Commandos that were out here with us,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Eric Ayala, the company commander of Alpha Co., 1st LAR Bn.
This year’s REDEX marks the first time MRF-D has rehearsed moving personnel and equipment through Adelaide as the initial port of embarkation and utilizing Australian rail transportation, enabling realistic integration of a U.S.-based unit into a training exercise with the ADF.
REDEX demonstrated MRF-D 24.3 and 1st MARDIV’s ability to integrate with Allied and joint military units, as well as civilian infrastructure, to rapidly deploy capabilities into the Indo-Pacific region. Components of the U.S. Air Force, ADF Joint Logistics Unit (South), RAAF, MRF-D 24.3, and Australian rail, worked together to ensure 1st LAR Bn. could participate in ADF-led training.
“What made this one significant is within a short window of time, we were able to leverage our Allies and partners’ capabilities, along with our MAGTF’s capabilities,” said Ayala.
REDEX provided valuable lessons that will help develop future procedures for deploying units in support of joint and multilateral training exercises and operations, increasing INDOPACOM’s collective ability to respond to crisis or contingencies. Coordination and combined training forged relationships that further advance the AUS-U.S. relationship and enhance the ability to work together towards shared goals.
Marine Rotational Force – Darwin is a rotational deployment of U.S. Marines and Sailors to Australia's Northern Territory. Established in 2011, MRF-D strengthens the alliance between the United States and Australia while also enhancing regional security and stability. MRF-D works closely with the ADF to conduct training, exercises, and engagements across the Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2024 21:41 |
| Story ID: | 478641 |
| Location: | DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AU |
| Web Views: | 434 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st LAR Bn. completes rapid deployment to Australia for REDEX 2024, by 1LT Colton Martin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
