Tiger training a shore thing

Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, recently conducted small-boat exercises during Exercise Tiger’s Run in Darwin.

CAPTION: Soldiers from 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, on board F470 Zodiacs conducting small-boat training in the littoral environment during Exercise Tiger’s Run 2022 on the Timor Sea. Story by Captain Peter March. Photo by Corporal Rodrigo Villablanca.

These included boat handling and beach landings to develop 1st Brigade’s littoral manoeuvre capability.

Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gilmore said the training was a natural fit for his Top End troops.

“What our infantry soldiers – and particularly our soldiers here in Darwin – have is an inherent flexibility and an ability to operate in any weather, climate, or terrain,” Lieutenant Colonel Gilmore said.

“It’s the geography that we live in, it’s the geography we work in, and we have a lot of water here – so with small boats it allows us to do more things in more places more often.”

Exercise Tiger’s Run also set the conditions for the Tiger Battalion’s soldiers to be properly equipped with both the skills and mindset for 1st Brigade’s Exercise Predator’s Run 2022.

“The first step in that journey is us developing our skills in small boats, with that operating within littoral areas,” Lieutenant Colonel Gilmore said.

“We see that work on the water is going to be integral for us, with anything we’re going to be doing into the future, particularly within this region, and this just gives us the opportunity to make sure that we’re as ready as we humanly can be.”

Exercise Predator’s Run 2022 will be a combined exercise held in the Northern Territory’s Mount Bundey Training Area with capabilities and personnel from 1st Brigade units, the United States Marine Corps’ Marine Force Detachment – Darwin, Malaysian Armed Forces, and the Philippines Army.

Commander of the 1st Brigade, Brigadier Nick Foxall, said the training will be pivotal for the development of the expertise required for successful littoral operations.

“This is an excellent opportunity to train with our partners from countries such as the United States, Malaysia, and the Philippines while becoming accustomed to operating in the maritime environment,” Brigadier Foxall said.

Beyond Exercise Predator’s Run, Brigadier Foxall said the Brigade will seek to increase training opportunities with partnering nations’ littoral capabilities.

“The 1st Brigade will lead Army’s thinking on the establishment of the littoral formation and play a key role in building Army’s littoral corporate knowledge,” he said.

“To achieve this we will seek increased security cooperation and international engagements such as exchanges and study tours with partner nations.”

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