Strong show of firepower
Volume 11, No. 52, September 21, 2006
By Cpl Mike McSweeney

Fully loaded: AFV crewmen load a .50 cal Remote Weapon Station during live-fire demonstrations on Exercise Chong Ju, the School of Armour’s biannual firepower display. Photo by David Grant

ENHANCED engineer capabilities, the addition of a mortar platoon and a dug-in tank were among the new displays at the biannual firepower demonstration Ex Chong Ju, according to CO/CI School of Armour Lt-Col Jason Thomas.

“The unique aspect of this demonstration was an expanded engineer capability display, including a full AFV fighting pit,” Lt-Col Thomas said.

“Most of the armoured guys haven’t seen one, nor the engineers who dug the pit so it gave them an idea of the advantages and disadvantages of this particular survivability enhancement.”
Ex Chong Ju, named after the Korean War battle, is a 90-minute demonstration primarily for students on the Combat Officers Advanced Course.

Lt-Col Thomas said it involved a joint and combined arms firepower display based on a combat team attack on a well prepared enemy force. He said the exercise aimed to provide junior officers with an appreciation of employing the ADF’s combined arms and joint capabilities.

“Chong Ju guarantees that by the time they start the course, they have a good understanding of most of the weapons that are in our inventory and what their strength and limitations are.

“It demonstrates that the most powerful way to use (these weapons) is in an offensive combined arms setting. So the strengths of one system mitigate the weaknesses of another system.

“It’s confirmation that the combined arms approach is the way to go.”

Ordinance from an F-111, F/A-18s, 3RAR mortars and 53 Bty field guns pounded the Puckapunyal range, while School of Armour’s 1/1/1 Combat Team’s Leopard tanks, M113 with a School of Infantry platoon mounted and ASLAVs conducted the assault with a School of Infantry platoon.

The School of Engineering provided battle noise simulation to further enhance the experience of the demonstration and provided a considerable static display.

“We’ve put extensive thought into the last couple of demonstrations to improve and refine them,” Lt-Col Thomas said.

“The feedback from the students indicates that the thought and preparation was well worth the effort.”