Exercise Southern Jackaroo : An Update

07/04/2021
By Private Jacob Joseph With more than seven live-fire traces open simultaneously, the culminating activity of Exercise Southern Jackaroo, held from June 15-24, took months to plan, and included forces from the US Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defence Force. Private Brendan Hannam, from 5 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR), fired the first…

Sea Breeze 21: Exercising in a Challenging Geo-Political Context

06/27/2021
On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Sixth Fleet announced the coming of Sea Breeze 21. U.S. Sixth Fleet formally announces participation in the upcoming annually held Exercise Sea Breeze 2021 (SB21) cohosted with the Ukrainian Navy, June 21, 2021. The exercise is taking place from June 28 to July 10…

The Coming of the USS Gerald R. Ford: A June 2021 Update

06/20/2021
According to a U.S. Navy press release issued on June 18, 2021, the USS Gerald R. Ford has completed its next test succssfully. On Friday, June 18, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully completed the first scheduled explosive event as part of Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST). The…

Rogue Ambush Exercise in Australia’s Top End

06/20/2021
According to an Australian Department of Defence story published on June 15, 2021, the Rogue Ambush exercise began in the Northern Territories. The Royal Australian Air Force will deploy over 300 personnel and approximately 30 aircraft to RAAF bases Darwin and Tindal to conduct Exercise Rogue Ambush 21-1 from 15…

Australian Anzac-class Frigate Works with French Task Force

05/28/2021
By Leading Seaman Jarrod Mulvihill HMAS Parramatta has joined French Navy Marine Nationale vessels FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf — operating as the Jeanne d’Arc Task Group — to complete a cooperative passage through the South China Sea. The Sydney-based Anzac class frigate had recently completed the Japan-led Exercise Arc21 with Tonnerre and Surcouf also taking part. The three ships conducted a range…

Australia Stands Up Centre of Expertise for Electronic Warfare

05/06/2021
The Commonwealth Government has announced a plan to establish a Centre of Expertise for Electronic Warfare in Adelaide in conjunction with Flinders University and DEWC T&E. Valued at $5 million over five years, the centre has been established under a Professional Electronic Warfare Training, Education and Research (PEWTER) memorandum of…

The IDF Chooses the CH-53K: Building Block for Manned-Unmanned Operational Future

05/04/2021
By Robbin Laird The IDF recently selected the CH-53K to replace its legacy heavy lift assets, namely, the CH-53D.  It is clear that the IDF is buying the CH-53K for many of the same reasons which USMC is doing so but the IDF has been especially focused on three key…