Mission ready
Volume 11, No. 47, July 13, 2006
By Lt Cameron Jamieson

Blueprint for success: Lt Adam Tull (centre) and Sprs Peter Jeffery and Beau Best, all 1CER, review plans for an obstacle course for ASLAVs. Photo by Cpl Ricky Fuller.

THE Reconstruction Task Force (RTF) is ready to deploy to Afghanistan after its successful Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRE) in Darwin.

Exercise Afghan Dawn took the headquarters through its command paces, while the follow-up exercise, Afghan Dusk, allowed the RTF combined-arms team to practise and validate their own tactics and procedures.

RTF Commander Lt-Col Mick Ryan said the CTC-generated exercises provided a comprehensive and realistic training environment.

“The MRE allowed us to step up and test our combined arms training, our command and control procedures and our logistic support to ensure we have the optimum blend of skills in the Task Force,” he said.

Lt-Col Ryan said the MRE capped off a preparation cycle that had created a coherent force ready to make a real difference to the people of the Oruzgan province.

“Over the last few months we’ve blended this team together,” he said. “They’ve stepped up to the challenge, and they’ve learnt quite a few things about themselves and the task force as a whole. And it’s not just my people who have learnt about what the RTF is capable of doing. It’s also shown Army that the RTF is not just a valid concept; it also works terrifically on the ground.”

6RAR infantryman and Bushmaster driver Pte Ben Huff said the MRE was a great challenge.

“We practised most of our SOPs and tactics, and we found that they worked pretty well on the ground,” he said. “We worked well together, particularly with the other elements like the cavalry and the engineers. Usually on exercise it’s just us, and we have to contact indirect support elements for any assistance. To have support readily accessible on the ground was quite good to see.”

A highlight for the soldiers was the chance to interact with Afghan civilians. “It was great to be able to train within their cultural environment,” Pte Huff said. We could practise how to act around them and talk to them in their language.”

Comd CTC Col Wes Volant said an extensive program of research, including in-theatre guidance and validation, had allowed CTC to deliver a realistic and demanding training environment.
“Our aim has been to replicate the environment in which the RTF will operate and expose them to the most likely and most dangerous situations,” Col Volant said.

He said 153 role players participated in the MRE. They undertook a concentrated three-day training period where they received roles and detailed biographies, as well as cultural and language nuances.

“Two Afghan linguists from the ADF School of Languages facilitated the training and participated during the MRE to appropriately guide role player responses. In the end we had people playing all the major players who can be found in the province,” Col Volant said.

He said the main challenge for CTC was to create an RTF-specific training environment, which had not been done before.

“We received a great deal of support from many agencies, including outside Army, such as Special Forces soldiers with experience in the AO, and, very importantly, a significant number of Dutch officers, including the commander of the Dutch forces the Australians will be operating with. Our endstate was to best replicate the informational, physical and human dimensions of the environment so the RTF can fully test its concept and TTPs.”

Lt-Col Ryan agreed that a highlight of the MRE was the presence of the Dutch troops.

“Quite frankly it was a high-value activity having them here. We were able to go through how we will do business with them,” he said. “The Task Force Oruzgan commander ... walked around and talked to the soldiers so he could get a good understanding of Australian soldiers and their expectations.”

The RTF is now preparing to deploy, and is doing so with an air of confidence. “Everyone is very confident, we’re well trained and well equipped, and we’re ready for anything,” Pte Huff said.
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