CDF visits personnel during exercise

Touching down at Mount Bundey, Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) General Angus Campbell visited soldiers from Australia, Japan and the US participating in Exercise Southern Jackaroo.

CAPTION: Chief of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell addresses US Marines and Australian Army gunners of 8/12 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, at a bilateral gun battery. Story by Private Jacob Joseph.

General Campbell watched sappers conduct an urban breaching serial before fielding questions from 5 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment and Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers.

Topics ranged from training area upgrades to future deployment and international engagement opportunities.

Japanese troops were particularly interested in CDF’s culinary preferences, asking about his favourite Japanese foods: sashimi and saki.

Accompanied by Commander 1 Brigade Brigadier Ash Collingburn and Commanding Officer of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Colonel David Banning, the CDF also toured the gun line, acting number six on the M777, and observed sniper live-fire activity.

103 Battery Bravo detachment commander Bombardier Eduardo Osborne received a coin from the CDF and said his team appreciated the visit.

“It’s fun to meet a high ranking officer that you’d usually only see on the news. To have him on the gun was pretty cool,” Bombardier Osborne said.

Japanese sniper Staff Sergeant Akito Yagi also received a coin, and was encouraged by General Campbell to share as much specialist knowledge with his Australian and US counterparts during the exercise as possible.

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