Royal Australian Navy’s landing helicopter dock HMAS Adelaide embarked U.S. Marines and Australian and U.S. Army forces from the 2016 Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) to transit from Brisbane to Adelaide to join Exercise Hamel.
The transit on HMAS Adelaide from 15-23 June provides an opportunity for both forces to practice joint training in a range of areas and work closely together on their amphibious interoperability.
The training better positions Australia and the United States to respond together to regional contingencies, such as a need for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, which would include the delivery of aid supplies, personnel and equipment to countries in the region.
HMAS Adelaide‘s sister ship HMAS Canberra was used when Australian Defence Force personnel deployed on Operation Fiji Assist in March this year. At its peak, approximately 1,000 ADF personnel helped to provide shelter, access to medical facilities and other emergency relief.
This year the 1,250 US Marines involved in the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin are participating in a number of activities with the Australian Defence Force in Australia including exercise Southern Jackaroo in Queensland, Exercise Hamel in South Australia and exercises’ Koolendong and Kowari in the Northern Territory.
Exercise Hamel is a major Australian Army exercise that is designed to evaluate the war fighting skills of a Brigade and in 2016, Darwin’s 1st Brigade will be tested to ensure they are ready for potential future deployments from humanitarian assistance missions through to war fighting operations.