Amphibious Capabilities Enhanced with Exercise Sea Explorer 2022

23 Juni 2022

HMAS Adelaide, front, sails in company with USS Ashland near Cowley Beach during Exercise Sea Explorer 2022 (all photos : Aus DoD)

The amphibious Exercise Sea Explorer 2022 has come to an end.

The exercise was held at Cowley Beach in North Queensland from May 30 to June 16, and 1400 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel took part in the ship-to-shore training.

This integration of sailors, soldiers and aviators strengthened the Australian amphibious force’s (AAF) capability to generate an effective ground combat element and project it ashore.

Landing helicopter dock HMAS Adelaide provided a hub from which landing craft and aircraft operated.

Commander of the Australian Amphibious Task Force, Captain Phillipa Hay, said Sea Explorer 2022 was also enriched by the presence of the United States Navy’s Japan-based USS Ashland, with AAF forces embarked.

“USS Ashland is one of our nearest and closest coalition partners. Together, we have demonstrated our ability to interchange and operate as a cohesive force to develop and deliver an amphibious effect,” Captain Hay said.

“The AAF is now certified to deploy on Indo-Pacific Endeavour, Defence’s premier deployment into the region and beyond, where we will be enhancing our interoperability and relationships with key partners and friends in the region.”

The AAF rehearsed in wet and dry environments in the exercise component called Wader, where troops trained day and night to familiarise themselves with the conduct of amphibious operations in Adelaide’s dock and on its flight deck.

Australian Army liaison officer Captain Jonathan Unicomb, from the ground combat element, said exercises like Sea Explorer provided learning opportunities for personnel from each service to better understand the capabilities each brought to amphibious operations and how they could best integrate to achieve whatever mission was required.

“The Royal Australian Navy plays an important role for the ground combat element — without them, we wouldn’t be able to get Army vehicles, equipment and personnel to the shore to conduct operations on land,” Captain Unicomb said.

A range of military vehicles and equipment landed ashore on Sea Explorer 2022, including M777 Howitzer artillery pieces, all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and Tiger armed reconnaissance and CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters. 

In a first, two Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRV) also landed ashore.

Troop leader Lieutenant Stefano Rankin, from 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry), said working as part of the AAF could enable the six-wheeled CRV to deploy around Australia and potentially around the globe.

“The Boxer disembarked from HMAS Adelaide by way of lighter landing craft to conduct Wader, rehearsing ship-to-shore movements, enabling us to be certified to conduct a live-fire exercise in Exercise Sea Raider later this year,” Lieutenant Rankin said.

Training now will be intensified for Exercise Sea Raider, where a larger joint maritime and land force will face increased complexities and greater challenges in contested environments.

(Aus DoD)