RCB Coy takes on Bde exercise

On guard: Tpr David Perry demonstrates bayonet fighting techniques to Malaysian soldiers from 18RMR in the lead up to Exercise Haringgaroo. Photo by Pte John Wellfare, Army newspaper

By Pte John Wellfare

A COMPANY of Australian soldiers teamed up with a battalion of their Malaysian counterparts in north-east Malaysia for a brigade-level exercise that tested the forces’ interoperative capabilities.

The Rifl e Company Butterworth (RCB) soldiers were attached to a Malaysian infantry battalion, 18th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment (18RMR) for Exercise Haringgaroo at the end of last year. RCB 68 was based on B Coy, 8/7RVR and other 4 Bde units.

The joint exercise involved a week of skills exchange and cross training before a tactical defensive exercise.

OC RCB 68 Maj Douglas Laidlaw said the pressure had been on the RCB soldiers to perform well during the exercise.

“This is an important exercise for [18RMR] because they’re actually going through an evaluation,” he said.

“We add another capability to the CO – we can be the CO’s dedicated counterpenetration or counterattack force, providing a capability that he wouldn’t have otherwise had.

“I’ve been surprised at how similar our doctrine is. We start, on paper, from a very similar point.”

Ex Haringgaroo was based on a larger notional operation defending Malaysia from a seaborne invasion from the north and was conducted by the Malaysian 8 Bde.

18RMR, with its Australian rifl e company, joined other Malaysian units in maintaining a blocking position to halt the enemy advance and allow mechanised forces to counterattack.

Maj Laidlaw said despite some initial reservations, the Malaysian and Australian soldiers connected on both professional and personal levels.

“I think there are a lot of similarities when you talk about soldiers as a group,” he said.

“A lot of the initial barriers have broken down and as soon as any of us has engaged with the Malaysians we’ve got a very generous and warm response, and that’s been from the digger level all the way up.

“There are signifi cant cultural differences, for example we’ve had to delay some of our sporting activities because their soldiers have complained that it was conflicting with their Muslim prayer time too much.

“Their faith is a fundamentally important part of their existence, as much as other things are for our soldiers.”

Maj Laidlaw said both Australian and Malaysian soldiers learnt many lessons during the exercise. The Malaysians passed on some valuable fi eld skills based on their knowledge of the local environmental conditions, while noting the Australians’ discipline in maintaining a tactical position.

The tactical exercise concluded with RCB conducting a company attack to regain lost positions of a forward company as part of a pre-rehearsed counter- penetration contingency plan.