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07 Sep 22. USN increasingly factoring climate change into exercises. The U.S. Department of the Navy will study the effect of climate change more frequently to better understand the impact that worsening weather and conditions are having on force effectiveness.
“Yes to more exercises,” Meredith Berger, the assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, said Sept. 7 at the annual Defense News Conference. “It was fruitful time that we spent together, and looking forward to learning more from it, for sure.”
The Navy this summer hosted a first-of-its-kind “tabletop” climate exercise, in which leaders gather to discuss emergency scenarios, at Marine Barracks Washington to test elements of its Climate Action 2030 plan.
The scenario focused on an amphibious exercise with a partner in the Indo-Pacific, which is ultimately hit by a typhoon, according to a Navy summary of the event.
A major takeaway from the exercise, Berger said, was recognizing “the way that the threat of climate change is impacting the mission” and how collaboration can mitigate risk. Other feedback included the importance of identifying single points of failure and incorporating climate predictions and considerations into planning.
“We saw the importance of partnership,” Berger said at the conference. “We saw the difference that it makes when we are working together, when we are paying attention to the different logistics concerns.”
Those involved in the tabletop venture hailed from the Department of Defense, Congress, think tanks, industry, nonprofits and other federal agencies.
The Navy published its Climate Action 2030 strategy in May, following President Joe Biden’s executive order dubbed “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” The strategy describes climate change as one of the “most destabilizing forces of our time,” aggravating other national security issues and endangering installations like Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina.
Sea-level rise and drought — consequences of climate change — are particularly hazardous to the Navy and Marine Corps.
“Our naval forces, the United States Navy and Marine Corps,” the climate strategy stated, “are in the crosshairs of the climate crisis: the threat increases instability and demands on our forces while simultaneously impacting our capacity to respond to those demands.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
09 Sep 22. Nato and allied nations participate in RAF’s Exercise Cobra Warrior. The latest iteration of the three-week exercise is being conducted between 3 and 23 September. Forces from the Nato, Germany, Italy and the US have commenced the UK Royal Air Force’s (RAF) capstone tactical training exercise, Cobra Warrior 2022. The three-week exercise is being conducted between 3 and 23 September.
Cobra Warrior is a biannual exercise, however, the previous iterations of the exercise were postponed due to pandemic restrictions.
This year’s event, being the first in several years, will further provide an opportunity to support larger exercises in future.
Nato’s involvement in the event will allow the deployed forces to enhance interoperability between the Nato members and further hone their procedures, techniques and tactics.
Detachment commander lieutenant colonel Köllner said: “The exercise is very realistic for us, planning together, working together, flying together.
“It also gives our people a focus, they know what they’re working for and we want to be ready for any situation that may come up.”
On 7 September, the Cobra Warrior exercise moved into its Mission 2 phase. This training event was supported by RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. The base is responsible for the delivery of training packages, using the Air Space Warfare Centre, for the event.
The Italian detachment of Eurofighter Typhoons and German ECR Tornado aircraft are also being hosted by RAF Waddington.
Led by Köllner, the German detachment’s six ECR Tornados have provided ‘suppression of enemy air defence’ capabilities for this multinational training event.
Other participants in the exercise include a Nato E-3A Sentry aircraft, along with US Air Force (USAF) HH-60Gs combat search and rescue aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-15 fighter jets and F35A Lightning II aircraft. The command-and-control support during this training event was provided by the Italian G550. The Italian and British refuelling aircraft also participated in the event. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
08 Sep 22. Exercise Pitch Black winds down. The largest iteration of the multinational exercise has concluded following three weeks of interoperability training in the Top End.
Exercise Pitch Black 2022 has officially wrapped up following a series of multinational air domain exercises in the Northern Territory from 19 August to 8 September.
Approximately 2,500 military personnel and 100 aircraft from 17 nations took part in this year’s iteration, operating out of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin, RAAF Bases Tindal and Amberley.
This represented the largest international contingent in the exercise’s history, with Australian forces joined by counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, the UK and the USA.
Notably, aircraft from Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea participated for the first time.
RAAF F-35A Lightning II aircraft also took to the skies for their inaugural participation in the exercise, operated by Nos. 3 and 75 Squadrons.
Exercise Commander, Air Commodore Tim Alsop, lauded the partners’ swift integration. (Source: Defence Connect)
08 Sep 22. Real Response develops defence training program using virtual reality and biometrics.
Australian-owned Real Response, a first responder training company, has confirmed the development of software in collaboration with Defence to improve combat medical training.
According to the company, the software employs virtual reality and biometric data to deliver realistic training to Defence Force medics.
Dubbed Virtual Tactical Combat Casualty Care, or vTC3, the program trains participants to practice their medical skills in a synthetic environment, trialling them in a range of scenarios including care under fire, field care, and evacuation.
It is expected that the program will have dual use applications, including for use within civilian emergency services agencies.
Virtual Tactical Combat Casualty Care was developed with the support of the Defence Innovation Hub. The company has also formed a partnership with Garmin, with the program using live biometric data from the Garmin smartwatch to inform the scenarios and supplement scenario results.
The results then inform a scenario debrief for the user.
“It has been a fantastic exerience working closely with the Defence Innovation Hub, Joint Capabilities Group and end users,” Benjamin Krynski, director of Real Response, said.
“Seeing the potential for our technology to enhance training capabilities for ADF medics who are tasked with caring for the sick and injured in defence of this nation is something that makes our entire team proud.”
(Source: Defence Connect)
07 Sep 22. Op Chariot in KZN drawing to a close. Six months ago, large parts of KwaZulu-Natal were hit by torrential rain resulting in widespread – and damaging – flooding. As has become common for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration, the speed dial number of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) was top of the list.
The “employment” of, according to SANDF Directorate: Corporate Communication (DCC) and the Joint Operations Division, up to 10 000 soldiers for flood relief and humanitarian assistance commenced late in April and will end this month (September) on an as yet unknown date. The mid-September shutdown was made public by Major General Sandile Hlongwa, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Joint Operations Headquarters during a July visit to the worst-hit areas of the province.
This deployment, as always under the Operation Chariot banner to provide assistance to South Africans, saw engineers, infantrymen and women alongside Works Formation artisans doing the physical hard yards while SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) professionals in various disciplines contributed to bettering health conditions and minimising the spread of contagious diseases, such as cholera. The SA Air Force (SAAF) provided much-appreciated logistic support in the form of helicopters and light transport aircraft to move all manner of supplies where needed.
An example of a job well done – this one by the Sappers – was officially commended by Ethekwini Metro Council Speaker Thabani Nyawose when taking a section of the M4 back into service. Speaking at an official re-opening of the Boys’ Town section of the M4, he said flood damage to the highway affected the local economy as it links vital economic zones, including Dube TradePort and King Shaka International Airport. Its re-opening, Nyawose said, “brings great joy”.
Major Lucas Masenya, commander of the Engineer Squadron tasked with the Boys’ Town rebuild and rehab, pointed out a primary function of the Sappers is to provide accessibility and mobility. On this count the successful completion of the M4 scored top marks.
In the immediate aftermath of the floods, the sight of camouflage-wearing soldiers wielding shovels to clear clogged roads and storm water drainage of mud and debris was a common – and welcome – sight for residents of the coastal metro and surrounds. Clearing work moved on to using tractor-loader-backhoes, allowing suburban residents access to work their own internal mopping up operations.
Provision of potable water was another feather in the cap of the Sappers. Portable water purification and sachet plants were set up in strategic areas to ensure people were also to use water without fear of falling ill.
Reports indicate national defence force personnel on the ground in KwaZulu-Natal reacted positively to Hlongwa’s appeal to take their work “one project at a time”.
“Understand the objective and – importantly – insist on quality,” he told Sappers and Works Formation artisans at one site. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
07 Sep 22. Taiwan military shows off its mettle with latest combat drills. Tanks pounded targets and fighter jets roared overhead on Wednesday as Taiwan’s military carried out its latest combat drills after weeks of sabre-rattling by giant neighbour China. China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has been holding exercises around the island since a visit to Taipei last month by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Taiwan, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims, has repeatedly stressed its calm reaction to Beijing’s activities, but that it also has the resolve and ability to defend itself if needed.
“Ground combat readiness training is an essential duty of the armed forces and is also something that we have to do each day and every moment,” defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters on a government-organised visit to Pingtung in Taiwan’s far south to see the drills.
“Regarding defence operations in Taiwan and its outlying islands, we conduct our exercises with the attitude of reacting to threats according to terrain and being able to fight everywhere to complete our duty of increasing war preparedness,” he added.
Taiwan’s armed forces are well-equipped but dwarfed by China’s. President Tsai Ing-wen has been overseeing a modernisation programme and has made increasing defence spending a priority. (Source: Google/Reuters)
06 Sep 22. Nato MARCOM’s exercise Dynamic Move 22 underway in Italy. The exercise aims to enhance participants’ abilities to undertake mine countermeasures missions. Nato Naval Mine Warfare Centre personnel from a total of 14 allied and partner nations are participating in the mine countermeasures exercise Dynamic Move 2022. Dynamic Move is a biannual exercise conducted by Northwood-headquartered Nato Maritime Command (MARCOM).
The latest iteration of this exercise commenced at the La Spezia Naval Base in Italy. It will conclude on 9 September.
It is a computer-assisted exercise that intends to hone the capabilities and skills of participating personnel and staff members to effectively perform comprehensive mine countermeasures missions.
The 14 participant countries are Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, the US, Canada, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Poland and some observers from Iraq, as a Nato partner nation.
Apart from Naval Mine Warfare Centre personnel, the Standing Nato Mine Countermeasures Group 2 staff has also participated in the exercise.
Exercise director and Spanish Navy Captain David Portal said: “Dynamic Move, a tactical level naval mine warfare computer assisted exercise sponsored by MARCOM, aims to exercise naval mine warfare and enhance standardisation and integration of our crews.
“This enables us to enhance Nato’s ability to conduct operations and promotes the convergence of Allied naval capabilities for future multi-domain warfare scenarios.”
As part of the ten-day long exercise, the naval mine warfare experts along with the subject-matter experts will provide training and guidance to the participants.
Furthermore, the exercise allows the participating nations to develop and sustain well trained mine countermeasures forces that can facilitate seamless integration. The subject-matter experts include legal advisors, maritime scientists, media trainers and Nato Shipping Centre officials. (Source: naval-technology.com)
05 Sep 22. German Navy commences Poseidon training. The German Navy has commenced training on the Boeing P-8A Poseidon, ahead of deliveries of five interim maritime multimission aircraft in 2024. The chief of the German Navy’s aviation component, Sea Captain Thorsten Bobzin, announced the milestone from his official Twitter account on 5 September. “P-8A training starts!” he said. “At the end of August, the first technicians from [German Naval Aviation Wing 3] began their pre-training at the [Technische Ausbildungszentrum technical training centre of the] Luftwaffe. A personnel exchange with and flying training at the US Navy should follow quickly. The first aircraft will be here in 25 months!” The disclosure of the commencement of training came weeks after Capt Bobzin told Janes and other defence media at the ILA Airshow in Berlin that the P-8A programme is within the timeframe first set out by Boeing, with deliveries to begin in October 2024 and run until mid-2025. (Source: Janes)
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InVeris Training Solutions combines an agile approach with an unmatched expertise in training technology to design and deliver customized, cutting-edge, first-rate training solutions that keep military, law enforcement and commercial range customers safe, prepared and ready to serve – Because Seconds Matter™. With a portfolio of technology-enabled training solutions, and a team of 400 employees driven to innovate, InVeris Training Solutions is the global leader in integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training solutions. With its legacy companies, FATS® and Caswell, InVeris Training Solutions has fielded over 15,500 live-fire ranges and 7,500 virtual systems globally during its 95-year history. The Company is headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia and partners with clients in the US and around the world from facilities on five continents.
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