Background

• Exercise Temple Jade (Ex TJ) is a triennial reciprocal infantry company exchange conducted between Land Command and the Royal Thai Army (RTA).
• In training years one and two, Rifle Company Butterworth (RCB) travels to Thailand to participate in Exercise Chapel Gold . In training year three Ex TJ occurs.
• Ex TJ is typically two to four weeks in duration.
• The RTA being largely a conscript army usually provides a composite company drawn from an entire infantry regiment (three infantry battalions). Personnel are mainly NCO.

Aims

• The aim of Ex TJ is to further develop interoperability between the Australian Army and the RTA at the tactical/unit level.

Objectives

The Australian exercise objectives are to:

• Improve levels of understanding of culture, customs and language among individual members of the RTA and Australian Army.
• Conduct a combined field activity with a focus on military operations.
• Gain a working knowledge of RTA operational, logistic and administrative procedures.

Participants

Due to high operational tempo in 1 Div, RCB has recently been responsible for additionally providing a sub-unit for Ex TJ in Thailand. A 1 Div unit is still responsible for the hosting of the RTA contingent.

The following Ex TJ contingents have/are to deploy:

• 2002 Ex CG 02 RCB 58 (6 RAR)
• 2003 Ex TJ 03 Postponed to 2006
• 2004 Ex CG 04 RCB 67 (6 RAR)
• 2005 Ex CG 05 2 RAR (C Coy)
• 2006 Ex TJ 06 RCB 75 (1 CER)
• 2007 Ex CG 07 RCB 79 (1 CER)
• 2008 Ex CG 08 RCB 83 (9 Bde)
• 2009 Ex TJ 09 RCB 86 (TBC)