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TIGERS EARN STRIPES |
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Commander 1 Bde Brig Craig Orme declared Battle Group Tiger “ready to deploy” after it completed a dynamic MRE, which included a high-tempo Command Post Exercise and a realistic free-play exercise involving more than 400 role-players. The MRE was run by Combat Training Centre and was conducted at Cultana Field Training Area from April 23 to May 4. The CPX, Exercise Iraqi Dawn, tested the Battle Group’s HQ staff with a range of difficult scenarios, while the free-play activity, Exercise Iraqi Dusk, provided combat teams with an opportunity to fully integrate and develop templates to deal with a range of threats in Iraq. One of the most important aspects of the MRE was that it introduced Battle Group Tiger to many valuable lessons learnt from earlier rotations of AMTG and OBG (W). It also enabled the Battle Group to explore the targeting capabilities provided by the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) cell, which provides near real-time intelligence. CO OBG (W) 3 Lt-Col Jake Ellwood said the MRE and important feedback from CTC’s observer trainers provided the Battle Group with the situational awareness and combat readiness required for mission success in Iraq. “The MRE provided Battle Group Tiger with the collective training necessary to allow the various units to fully integrate and function as a cohesive combat force,” Lt-Col Ellwood said. “We have trained very hard since February to integrate all the elements of the Battle Group and are now mission ready. I am confident that Battle Group Tiger will bring credit to the ADF as a capable coalition partner, and Australia as a nation which contributes to peace and stability wherever it is required around the globe.” Battle Group Tiger’s combat teams comprise elements of 5RAR, 1CSR, 1CSSB, 1CER, 2 Cav Regt, 8/12 Mdm Regt, 1 Armd Regt and 1 Bde HQ. The teams will provide security for OBG-(W)-3’s two key enablers, the CIMIC program and the Australian Army Training Team Iraq (AATTI). The CIMIC program is directly helping improve the lives of local people by providing them with community infrastructure projects, while the AATTI is training Iraqi Army recruits and officers to help the Iraqi Security Forces develop their capabilities. A main feature of Exercise Iraqi Dusk was the integration of the combat teams while the tactical focus was on refining the procedures to defeat a range of threats, including IEDs. The IED attacks on a patrol with OBG-(W)-2 occurred during the MRE but, far from unnerving members of Battle Group Tiger, it actually served to increase the tempo of the exercise and also the resolve of the soldiers involved to defeat this menace. OC Combat Team Sabre Maj Troy Ramage was pleased with the learning opportunities provided by the MRE. “Everybody, from the soldier and the corporal to the commander, has learnt a lot from this exercise,” Maj Ramage said. Diggers said the MRE was very important because they had never before operated as part of a battle group with such situational awareness provided by ISTAR assets provided by 20 STA Regt. These targeting capabilities were provided by the AN/TPQ-36 Weapon Locating Radar, the Skylark Tier I Miniature UAV and the ScanEagle Tier II UAV. The ISTAR capability enabled Combat Team Sabre’s Bushmasters and ASLAVs to swiftly manoeuvre into position to isolate extremist strongholds during the MRE. Related Story |
