If you think ‘finding a needle in a haystack’ is the best idiom to describe the impossible, then you’ve never seen what a torpedo anti-submarine officer (TASO) faces.

Principal Warfare Officer Lieutenant Matthew Jennings is the TASO on board HMAS Toowoomba, and it is his job every day to search for predators lurking beneath the surface – an adversary whose survival depends on never being found. 

“I’m always up for a challenge. If I get good at something and stop progressing, I would lose interest. However, I like constantly challenging myself to do better,” Lieutenant Jennings said.

On deployment in the East China Sea as part of Exercise Nichi Gou Trident with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), Lieutenant Jennings has seen his capabilities amplified.

During the exercise, Toowoomba conducted anti-submarine warfare training in a pack with JMSDF destroyer JS Akizuki.

“Working with the Japanese has been great, [and] see[ing] how they respond to these exercise scenarios,” Lieutenant Jennings said. 

“We have very close relations with them, yet our tactics and procedures differ based on different capabilities. So it’s been good to get an understanding of how they operate, and how we integrate in these environments.”

'It’s an advantage, integrating all our capabilities. There’s a lot of cutting-edge technology out there, but no country is in the position of buying everything.'

Nichi Gou Trident is the premier bilateral maritime exercise between Australia and Japan. The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the relationship and enhance mutual cooperation and understanding between the JMSDF and the Royal Australian Navy.

Apart from developing joint tactics, Lieutenant Jennings said another benefit of working as an interoperable force was the capabilities each nation brought to the table. 

“It’s an advantage, integrating all our capabilities. There’s a lot of cutting-edge technology out there, but no country is in the position of buying everything. So, setting ourselves up to integrate with all of our allies and benefit from each other’s capabilities is a massive advantage,” Lieutenant Jennings said.

Commanding Officer JS Akizuki Commander Kiichiro Toyama agreed with Lieutenant Jennings.

“Our ships have different capabilities that will work very well together. Toowoomba has effective short-range systems, while Akizuki has effective long-range systems. By working as a team, we become a far more well-rounded and capable force,” Commander Toyama said.

With Nichi Gou Trident now in its 17th year, Commander Toyama said that it has become a vital exercise in our nations’ joint efforts to ensure a prosperous, safe and secure Indo-Pacific.

“As our nations get closer, it is important that our people do too. Australia’s deployments to the East China Sea are very helpful to Japan, as it assists us in ensuring our regional security,” Commander Toyama said.

Having completed Exercise Nichi Gou Trident, Toowoomba will continue with her regional presence deployment throughout North-East and South-East Asia, conducting training, exercises and other engagements with Australia’s regional partners.