NZ Army Combat Team Locked and Loaded for Major Waiouru Exercise

03 April 2025

From blowing up bridges to soldiers engaged in trench warfare, anti-tank javelin missiles and combat vehicles in full flight, Exercise Sangro is set to test Army’s range of capabilities and pack quite the punch (photos: NZArmy)

“It’s the first time various units have come together for this kind of live fire exercise and at this scale in a while, so it’s incredibly important for us,” said Lieutenant Colonel Caleb Berry, Commanding Officer of the Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifled (QAMR) armoured regiment.

Over the course of the next week and a half, close to 200 soldiers of Ngāti Tūmatauenga, the New Zealand Army, will descend on the Argo Valley in the Waiouru Military Training Area, to conduct a series of high intensity exercises.

These will see elements of armour, infantry, artillery, engineers, signals and logistics from across the 1st (NZ) Brigade, operating as an integrated Combat Team.

“The combat team will be tasked to advance and clear a route with known enemy positions, as well as unknown enemy positions,” said Lieutenant Colonel Berry.

“They will come under fire from enemy positions and conduct either troop or combat team level quick and deliberate attacks.”

The exercise will test commanders’ abilities to make the right decisions under pressure in the midst of a very realistic scenario, and show the effectiveness of the NZ Army’s combat units as they attack, dominate and win various encounters.

Beyond the Army’s combat capability, Exercise Sangro will also test our units’ agility when responding to fast-paced, evolving situations.

Included in the combat team are the latest protected vehicle in the NZ Army’s arsenal, the Bushmaster – an armoured vehicle that provides a high level of protection and mobility to soldiers.

“This exercise is crucial to our journey of bringing the Bushmaster up to full operational readiness."

The Bushmaster, which has a mounted machine gun for protection, will be supporting the NZ Army’s primary combat vehicle, the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV), with its 25mm cannon capable of engaging with the enemy at ranges up to 2400m. 

Exercise Sangro will ultimately conclude with the LAV Motorised Infantry capability being certified at the Combat Team level. This means it can integrate seamlessly within an Australian Battlegroup, on coalition warfighting operations.

“Our big exercises coming up later this year are Diamond Strike, with 7th Australian Brigade in June, and Talisman Sabre held in Australia in July, and the Combat Team that we’re testing here in Waiouru this week is the one that will be crossing the ditch in a couple of months – so getting this exercise right is crucial for our interoperability with Aussie counterparts, which plays a significant role in our shared focus on the security and stability of our wider region.”

Exercise Sangro will run from March 24 through to April 4.

(NZDF)