Soldiers prepare for Philippines deployment

Members of 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment and 2nd Health Battalion have been preparing for their deployment as part of Joint Australian Training Team – Philippines (JATT-P) 2023, at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane.

CAPTION: An Australian Army rifleman from 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, conducts combat-shooting rehearsals at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane. Story by Captain Cody Tsaousis. Photo by Corporal Nicole Dorrett.

They will deliver lessons on combat shooting, urban clearance, tactical care of a combat casualty and explosive breaching drills.

As part of the preparation, the soldiers simulated working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to help overcome language and cultural barriers.

Some members role-played as soldiers from the partner nation to enhance the realism of the training.

Private Jack McCombe, who was acting as an instructor, said it was a new experience.

“Interacting with soldiers from other nations is new to me in an instructing role so it’s really good to get this experience,” he said.

“We’ve done months of training and now we get to put it into practice.

“I’m really excited about going over there, it’s a good start to the year and I’m keen to get a feel for something different.”

There will be several rotations as part of JATT-P 2023.

Contingent commander Major Michael Joseph said the deployment would enhance soldiers’ skills and provide a great opportunity to work with foreign forces.

“It’s absolutely important for a lot of the junior soldiers to get that experience and understand how to work with partner nations,” Major Joseph said.

“A lot of them have never been on a training exercise overseas before, or dealt with language barriers, so it’s important for them to learn how to overcome those challenges.”

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