US Marines and sailors with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 24.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) embarked in the amphibious ship HMAS Adelaide (L01) alongside their ADF personnel to participate in the Wet and Dry Exercise Rehearsal (WADER), transiting from Port Darwin to Port Townsville from 2-20 June.
The WADER exercise will see MRF-D 24.3 personnel working closely with the ADF to conduct a series of training activities designed to enhance joint operational capabilities. The early stages of WADER include MV-22B Osprey deck landing qualifications executed by Marine Medium Tilt-rotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced), and a Combat Marksmanship Program live-fire deck shoot conducted by Marines with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (Reinforced).
As part of the exercise, MAGTF Marines and Sailors will debark at Townsville pier, followed by US Navy medical subject matter expert exchanges with ADF medical personnel aboard Adelaide. These exchanges will cover various aspects of operational health support, including Role 1 care, triage, mass casualty planning, walking blood bank, surgical care, and en route care.
On 15 June the ADF will initiate a ship-to-shore movement using landing craft, incorporating vehicles and logistics personnel from Combat Logistics Battalion 5 (Reinforced), further demonstrating the seamless integration between US and Australian forces.
“It’s great to have our friends and allies onboard again,” said Adelaide’s Commanding Officer, Captain Troy Duggan. “This is a great experience for my crew to learn from them, interact, share stories and create new friendships.”
The culmination of WADER will see the standard operating procedures codified to facilitate future interoperability between MRF-D and ADF, strengthening the regional alliance between the two forces and enhancing amphibious interoperability in the Indo-Pacific.
MRF – Darwin is a rotational deployment of US Marines to Darwin, Australia, aimed at enhancing regional security and stability, fostering closer US-Australia defence ties, and ensuring that both forces are capable of rapidly responding to crises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Source: USINDOPACOM
