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Australian and US military personnel have commenced a joint warfighting exercise in the Northern Territory.
US Marines of the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) are combining with Australian Defence Force personnel from Australian Army’s 1st and 13th Brigade, and Royal Australian Air Force’s 36th, 37th and 75th Squadrons as part of Exercise Koolendong.
Defence training areas in the Northern Territory and for the first time, in Western Australia, will host the exercise over the next three weeks.
Exercise Koolendong — which comes off the back of Exercises Southern Jackaroo and Crocodile Response — aims to test a joint military response to a simulated regional security crisis.
“This annual exercise allows the ADF to rehearse with the US Marines in a combined arms littoral combat scenario,” Australian Army Colonel Marcus Constable, Commander Headquarters Northern Command, explained.
“Koolendong strengthens the US-Australian relationship, advances and validates USMC-ADF interoperability and demonstrates preparedness to respond to a regional crisis.”
US Marine Colonel Christopher Steele, MRF-D’s Commanding Officer, said Exercise Koolendong would further build on the strength of the Australia-US military partnership.
“We are deploying significant forces by land, air and sea to training areas in both WA and the NT including Mount Bundy Training Area, RAAF Base Curtin and Yampi Sound Training Area,” Colonel Steele said.
“This mid-intensity warfighting exercise replicates elements of a combined joint littoral combat operation supported by capabilities from the US Army and US Air Force.
“The Australia-US Alliance has never been more important as we look ahead to our regional strategic challenges.”
The MRF-D deployment in the Top End forms part of the United States Force Posture Initiatives, which aims to improve interoperability between Australia and the United States across the Indo-Pacific.
The commencement of Exercise Koolendong comes ahead of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles’ trip to the United States to discuss a range of joint defence initiatives, including the AUKUS agreement.
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