Militia attacks, live firing, ambushes and protest – they were all part of the scenario that made up Exercise Silver Warrior, the New Zealand Army exercise held recently throughout the lower North Island.
The exercise, which involved 800 personnel and more than 250 vehicles, was the largest for some years, and was conducted to determine if Linton-based 1stBattalion, which is the Army’s motorised battalion, has reached DLOC (directed level of capability) - in other words, whether it has reached the standard required of it by government.
"The exercise was designed so the battalion group could be monitored and evaluated in distinctly different scenarios which mirrored real conflict situations happening throughout the world today. While there are some areas where further work is needed, I have the overall impression the units involved demonstrated very clearly that they are able to operate effectively as a motorised battalion group." says Major GeneralMateparae.
The commander of 3rd Land Force Group, Colonel SeanTrengrove, who led the international team of exercise assessors, said observations and recommendations were made known to the various units involved in Silver Warrior as the exercise progressed.
"While we were always monitoring the battalion’s abilities, we also wanted everyone to get the best they could from the exercise, so it was beneficial to make our observations known as Silver Warrior progressed.
"The Canadian military is very conversant with light armoured vehicles, and their input into the exercise was invaluable, he said.
Photos: RNZAF photographers ACs Rachael Main, SamShepherd, Loren Mehaffy and Brad Hanson.