Around 100 New Zealand soldiers have tested their mettle alongside United States counterparts, during Exercise JPMRC in Hawaii.
Hosted by the U.S. Army Pacific, the exercise took place at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Centre (JPMRC) regional combat training centre.
The facility tests large-scale combat capabilities in various environments found throughout Asia and the Pacific, through live and virtual methods.
The aim of this exercise was to ensure the New Zealand Army is a combat capable force that is well equipped and fully prepared to be employed across the spectrum of military operations.
The New Zealand deployment was predominantly made up of personnel from 163 Battery of 16 Field Regiment, with logistics, communications and health personnel also taking part.
They used their skills on multiple L119 Light Guns, took part in an integrated live fire shoot with the U.S. Army Pacific operating both 105mm and 155mm artillery guns, and conducted an air mobile gun raid where U.S. Army Pacific Chinook helicopters carried and deposited guns for personnel on the ground to use.
Battery Commander Major Damian Jaques says personnel excelled in the training.
“We specialise in the provision of offensive support in the battle space. This exercise enabled us to test our procedures and benchmark them against our partners and allies.
“We were able to validate our ability to deploy, fight and win in large-scale conflict operations,” Major Jaques said.
Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell said New Zealand’s participation was critical in testing the ability to operate alongside like-minded armies in the region.
“We value the strong relationship we have with U.S. Army Pacific, and in particular the 25th Infantry Division,” he said.
“High quality training exercises like this ensure we can easily integrate with our military partners at short notice and in response to a range of contingencies, ranging from humanitarian assistance through to armed conflict.
“It also ensures our personnel are combat ready and improves our ability to work within a coalition environment as a valued and trusted partner, and contribute to a secure, stable and resilient Pacific region,” Major General Boswell said.
