Pilbara Regiment tested on Exercise Colt
Zodiac patrols, radars and vehicle-mounted teams from the Pilbara Regiment converged on the Exmouth Peninsula for Exercise Colt, testing personnel and trialling equipment in a mission-readiness activity from July 11 to 19 [reported by ARMY News, 24 August].
CAPTION: Pilbara Regiment soldiers launch a Zodiac during Exercise Colt at Exmouth, Western Australia. Photo by Leading Aircraftman Chris Tsakisiris.
Responsible for one of the largest areas of operation in Australia, the Pilbara Regiment provides surveillance and reconnaissance capability across the Pilbara, Mid-West and Gascoyne regions of WA.
The exercise prepared soldiers for Operation Resolute, which supports efforts to detect and respond to illegal maritime activity and border security threats.
Supporting those efforts was a layered surveillance network that combined vehicle-mounted and maritime patrols, ground-based radar and uncrewed aerial systems, operating across the North West Cape.
The activity also marked the field testing of a new surveillance system alongside the in-service Ground Observer-12 radar.
Spread across multiple locations, radar teams monitored large areas of terrain and coastline, detecting activity that could otherwise take an extended time for patrols to find.
One of the patrol commanders involved was Corporal Graeme Airton, who led a six-member crew to conduct maritime surveillance tasks from Zodiac boats.
As patrol commander and signaller, he was responsible for coordinating personnel, managing patrol tasks and establishing communications to transfer voice, image and data back to command.
During the exercise, his team worked across a range of environments including open water, tidal creeks and mangrove systems, searching areas of interest.
“It was good to be able to mix with the other parts of our unit because we’ve got such a large geographic base from Perth all the way up into the Pilbara, Port Hedland and beyond,” Corporal Airton said.
“Any field exercise where you get to practically test equipment, training and personnel is going to put any force in good stead for future needs.”
For Lieutenant Robert Cope, Exercise Colt provided an opportunity to lead a vehicle-mounted patrol during the exercise.
His team focused on deploying, operating and evaluating systems in a field environment, providing feedback while adapting to software upgrades and evolving procedures throughout the activity.
“We were able to deploy [the surveillance system] from a vehicle-mounted position as well as carry it over distance,” Lieutenant Cope said.
“While it’s not exactly man-packable, it is man-portable, which gave us flexibility in where we could position and operate the radar.”
Commander Pilbara Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Sven Harris said Exercise Colt was designed to prepare the regiment for future operational requirements by combining individual readiness, collective readiness, community engagement and capability development into a single activity.
“Every opportunity we can take to ensure that our soldiers are getting those chances to work together and practise their skills is important,” Lieutenant Colonel Harris said.
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