10 June 2008
Both the New Zealand and Australian Defence Forces are hailing Exercise Joint Kiwi 08 a success, following a week at sea on a round trip from Lyttelton to Napier.
New Zealand and Australia experience a close and longstanding defence relationship, with similar regional interests in security and stability in the Pacific. The New Zealand-led exercise was aimed at improving interoperability between both nations.
The exercise was straightforward – the Government of Motatapu Islands (GOMI) was experiencing destabilising influences through Free Island Party (FIP) insurgency action throughout the island chain. GOMI requested assistance from Australia and New Zealand in order to stabilise the situation by capturing the FIP leadership, who were meeting on off- shore Hawke Island, thereby neutralising the insurgency by removing the leadership.
A Combined Joint Task Force (CTF) was raised consisting of the Australian LPA (Landing Platform Amphibious) war ship HMAS MANOORA, an amphibious command element from HMNZS CANTERBURY and a New Zealand Land Forces Combat Team component provided by Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles and Bravo Company, 2/1 RNZIR. They sailed from Lyttelton to Napier on HMAS MANOORA, bringing with them 12 LAV, 6 LOV, 1 M1089 recovery truck and eight Unimogs.
As part of the exercise the New Zealand and Australian Defence Forces conducted amphibious beach landings and withdrawals, designed to increase joint preparation between the two countries, for emergency relief and wider operational employment. As a notable first this exercise was the first time NZLAV had been landed amphibiously since its introduction into service in New Zealand in 2004. All vehicles were successfully landed ‘on the beach’ on 15 May.
Once ashore the QAMR Combat Team rapidly deployed into the area of the proposed meeting, established observation onto the target building using a combination of manned observation posts, Remote Ground Sensors (RGS) and, on the morning of the cordon, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from 16 Fd Regt. The Combat Team then established a cordon in order to seal off the area which resulted in the successful capture of the 3 key FIP leaders (role players provided by 7 WHB Bn Gp). A Sea King helicopter from HMAS Manoora was dispatched to the area to uplift the detainees and return them to the ship and eventual hand over to the GOMI. A rapid withdrawal was then conducted back to ‘Red Beach 1’ at Napier with the key point security of a vital bridge being provided by 7 Bn. The Combat team was re-embarked before last light on 17 May.
“This was a great opportunity for the New Zealand Army and Navy to gain further experience in amphibious operations leveraging off the Australians’ considerable skills,” said Major Mike Duncan, Squadron Commander of QAMR
“Our forces are currently deployed together operationally in Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. Exercise Joint Kiwi is just one of a number of exercises that Australia and New Zealand conduct together to increase our capabilities and better prepare us for combined operations. The experience has also been the platform for building a strong relationship between QAMR and HMNZS CANTERBURY, a relationship that both units look forward to strengthening in the future.”
Despite the odd bout of seasickness, Exercise Joint Kiwi was a great success. “We were able to achieve what we set out to, and so much more. The New Zealand-led exercise was aimed at improving interoperability between not only the NZ Army and Navy by also both nations, and giving our soldiers a very realistic amphibious experience travelling by war ship. Working closely with the HMAS MANOORA ship’s company gave us a better understanding of day to day life on board a war ship, and for us, that was invaluable.”
Romani and Joint Kiwi:
QAMR is put through its paces
Queen Alexandras’s Mounted Rifles Company conducted one of their main exercises recently, as Second Lieutenant Jarrod Saunders, QAMR, reports on Exercises Romani and Joint Kiwi:
Exercise Romani
At dawn on April 28, the men and woman of Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles were busy conducting final preparations of their vehicles and personal equipment before departing the Command Joint Task Force (CJTF) Headquarters (Burnham Camp) to capture the Free Island Party (FIP) terrorists trying to destabilise the Government of Motatapu Island.
The first phase of the exercise saw all three troops dispersed over the middle of the South Island conducting reconnaissance on a number of routes through the Lees Valley to Hawarden, Kaikoura, and up to St Arnaud through the Molesworth, St James and Rainbow stations to establish if the routes were capable of taking a truck and trailer. It was also to establish whether some of the areas would be suitable for the placement of refugee camps to house the influx of people escaping the fighting in the north. This saw the New Zealand Light Armoured Vehicle (NZLAV) Cavalry Troops covering quite a few kilometres as they advanced up the island. The first time the troops saw each other was on the night of the 29th at a squadron hide to the west of St Arnaud to regroup and receive orders for the redeployment to the Mawhera and Hochstetter forests on the West Coast.
After a night of rest the troops drove to the West Coast and moved in to individual troop Area of Operations (AO) to try and capture the FIP cadre operating in the forests, as the enemy prepared to try to disrupt the up coming Provincial leaders meeting at Seaview Estate in Hokitika. The troops immediately started to build a picture of activity in the area by putting out electronic surveillance equipment and conducting observation posts (OP) in areas of interest.
The squadron received good intelligence that a meeting between the Cadre Staff was going to happen in the Mawhera Forest at a little secluded place called No Town Two and three Troop moved from their AOs and redeployed into 1 Troop’s AO to conduct a cordon to capture the terrorists. The cordon was set and 2 Troop swooped to capture the enemy at the meeting with 1 Troop close by in an OP giving constant updates. The terrorists were captured and handed over to the authorities and this meant that the FIP’s plans to interfere with the Provincial Leaders’ meeting in Hokitika had been delivered a serious blow.
The squadron moved from the forest to the Greymouth Army office where a brief pause in operations gave the public a chance to talk to the crews and look over the vehicles. The squadron then deployed to Seaview Estate, which included security for the Provincial leaders as they met to discuss the future of Motatapu Island. The remaining FIP insurgents tried various methods to disrupt the meeting, including the use of snipers, improvised explosive devices (IED), and the smuggling of weapons into the meeting location. The squadron was successful in making sure that the leaders were kept safe and able to discuss the future of the island.
Exercise Joint Kiwi
After the success on the West Coast the squadron was then tasked to move to Lyttleton to board the HMAS Manoora and redeploy to Hawk Island to capture the senior FIP leaders meeting in Ongaonga (the central Hawkes Bay, provided by 7 Wellington Hawke’s Bay Battalion Group). The squadron married up with B Company from 2/1 Battalion at the West Melton Range. The move to and loading of the vehicles onboard the HMAS Manoora was done with relative ease and that night the task force sailed towards Hawk Island to conduct an amphibious landing at Red Beach 1 (Perfume Point, Napier). The plan to conduct some rehearsals of the landing was hampered by sea conditions; however this did not deter the crew of the ship from getting the vehicles ashore on time.
In the early hours of the morning of 15 May the first NZLAV drove off the Landing Craft and up the mats onto the beach. The troops then moved off to their hides and waited for H Hour from the OC.
It was over as quickly as it had begun. All the troops played their part in the plan and the leaders were captured. The enemy had no chance to escape as the NZLAV’s sped towards the target. The infantry in the back of the NZLAV cleared the target building and apprehended the leaders with the operation under the observation of 1 Troop OP’s and the 16 Field Regiment Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The leaders were apprehended in a matter of minutes and flown back to the HMAS Manoora onboard the Sea King helicopter.
The cordon was withdrawn and the troops moved back to the boat and set off for home as the last rays of light faded from the sky. The operation was a huge success as it meant that the mayhem that the FIP had imposed on the Motatapu Island chain over the last few years had been brought to a close.
QAMR would like to thank B Company 2/1 RNZIR, the MTC, 3 Signals Squadron, 3 Logistic Battalion, 3 Field Troop and the 16 Field Regiment for their provision of manpower to make the exercise such a success.