‘ANZAC Battle Group’

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Patrol Base ANZAC


Patrol Base ANZAC has been established following the successful insertion of the ANZAC Battle Group into their area of operations, near the mock-town of Asadabad. From here the Commanding Officer of ANZAC Battle Group conducts planning and operations forward of his normal operating base in Albertshoff with his TAC party. Patrol Base ANZAC is a temporary home to Australian and New Zealand soldiers of the ANZAC Battle Group, along with US counterparts from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and US JMRC Observer/Controllers.

Approximately 180 personnel drawn mostly from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) in Townsville have deployed to Germany on Cooperative Spirit 2008 (CS08). CS08 is a multinational exercise intended to test interoperability among the American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Armies (ABCA).

The 1 RAR contingent comprises of a Battle Group HQ and Combat Team Force Element and will be combined with a company from the 2nd/1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (2/1 RNZIR) to create the ‘ANZAC Battle Group’ during the exercise. They will conduct operations in the field, under stressful battlefield conditions, complete with a sophisticated opposing force and realistic training scenarios in a world-class training facility.

CS08 is being conducted by the United States at the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre (JMRC), located in Hohenfels, Germany, between 11 Sep and 10 Oct 08. Around 1800 troops from ABCA Armies are taking part in the activity. The month-long exercise aims to develop skills common to ABCA armies and increase interoperability for combined operations, offering significant opportunities to train soldiers in a combined (multinational) environment.

Field Training Exercise

Combat Team Charlie, ANZAC Battle Group, kicked off the Field Training Exercise (FTX) for Cooperative Spirit 08 with air-mobile insertion into their area of operations. 9 Platoon was partnered with US soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and for the first time were mounted in US Stryker armoured vehicles to secure a landing zone for the remainder of Combat Team Charlie. Once the landing zone was secured, 7 and 8 Platoons and Combat Team HQ elements were inserted via UH-1H Iriqois helicopters over numerous sorties and began their new tasks of patrolling and securing their new territory.

Approximately 180 personnel drawn mostly from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) in Townsville have deployed to Germany on Cooperative Spirit 2008 (CS08). CS08 is a multinational exercise intended to test interoperability among the American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Armies (ABCA).

The 1 RAR contingent comprises of a Battle Group HQ and Combat Team Force Element and will be combined with a company from the 2nd/1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (2/1 RNZIR) to create the ‘ANZAC Battle Group’ during the exercise. They will conduct operations in the field, under stressful battlefield conditions, complete with a sophisticated opposing force and realistic training scenarios in a world-class training facility.

CS08 is being conducted by the United States at the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre (JMRC), located in Hohenfels, Germany, between 11 Sep and 10 Oct 08. Around 1800 troops from ABCA Armies are taking part in the activity. The month-long exercise aims to develop skills common to ABCA armies and increase interoperability for combined operations, offering significant opportunities to train soldiers in a combined (multinational) environment.


Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts and assets from 15 Combat Engineer Troop (15 CE Tp), 3 Combat Engineer Regiment (3 CER) have been attached to the ANZAC Battle Group as part of Cooperative Spirit 08. Responsible for Counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) tasks throughout the ANZAC Battle Group Area of Operations, they have been called into the town of Nurgal to render safe a suspicious package and vehicle. Local residents want their community to be free from the threat posed by IEDs, which indiscriminately endangers the safety of their people and have requested ANZAC Battle Group assistance. Local residents have been moved to safe distance and infantry soldiers have set up a cordon while EOD experts and assets conduct the delicate task to remove the threat posed to the townspeople.

Situation Training Exercises

7, 8 and 9 Platoons from Charlie Company 1 RAR conduct cordon and search training as part of platoon and company level Situation Training Exercises (STX) during Cooperative Spirit 2008. The training was conducted around the mock Afghan village of Nurgal and activities involved cordon and searches, building clearances, counter IED tasks, attacks in urban terrain and community key leader engagement. The Afghanistan-inspired environment and exercise scenarios at the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre (JMRC) in Hohenfels Germany are providing 1 RAR soldiers up to date and realistic training experiences, better preparing them for future operations.

Quick Reaction Force drills


Infantrymen from 8 Platoon, Combat Team Charlie run through Quick Reaction Force (QRF) drills as part of the ANZAC Battle Group training during Cooperative Spirit 2008. Platoons are put through their paces in Situation Training Exercises (STX) in a number of activities before engaging in company/combat team level STX and finally the Brigade/Battle Group Field Training Exercise (FTX). In the QRF training, 8 Platoon are the short notice callsign that has been tasked to respond swiftly to threat forces occupying buildings in an urban area. They roll in to the scene mounted in US High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or ‘Humvees/Hummers’) and once security is established around the scene, buildings are searched, the threat is engaged and enemy is captured or killed.


ADF Photo Gallery although all photo's are taken by a Ms nicole munro-johnson NZDF:

www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/Oct/20081003b/index.htm

Photo's in these are a mix of Ms nicole munro-johnson NZDF & US Army
www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/Oct/20081003a/index.htm

www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/Oct/20081003d/index.htm

www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/Oct/20081003e/index.htm

www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/Oct/20081003c/index.htm

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Coperative Spirit Blogspot more stories and Photo's Located on link:
cooperativespirit08.blogspot.com/

New Zealand Shares their "Cooperative Spirit"

-- Spc. Warren W. Wright, Jr.

JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany – Ngati Tumatauenga, the tribe of the God of War. That’s the phrase used in the Maori culture of New Zealand to define their country’s Army.

The New Zealand Army’s history spans 150 years, beginning with small units protecting little more then small villages. Its current force of Territorial and Regular units are key to enhancing the safety and security of the South Pacific, according to the New Zealand Army’s Web site.

In 1965, the New Zealand Army joined the American, British, Canadian and Australian Armies Program as an observer under the sponsorship of the Australian Army. Now, for the first time since their induction as a full member of ABCA in 2006, the New Zealand Army is participating in a test of interoperability between ABCA armies. The name of the test is Cooperative Spirit 2008, a multinational combat training center rotation.

New Zealand, along with the other ABCA armies, are at the Joint Multinational Training Center near Hohenfels, Germany, to train and operate effectively together in the execution of assigned missions and tasks.

Working with ABCA will help the New Zealand Army gain knowledge from the other nations’ experiences as well as open up the opportunity for more training, said New Zealand Army Sgt. Denton F. Paterson, a platoon sergeant in the 2nd / 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

The 2nd /1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is currently the only light infantry battalion in the New Zealand Army which can trace its lineage back to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade in the first World War. At present, the battalion and its sub-units have deployed to operations in multiple regions around the world and have continuously been supporting those operations since 2000.

Now, as a member of ABCA, the unit has the ability to get up to date coalition training and has the opportunity to see how other countries function as well as show those countries how the New Zealand Army operates, said New Zealand Army Sgt. Simon A. Perkins of the 2nd /1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

The 2nd / 1st Battalion has the opportunity to train in a variety of areas, from participating in a live-fire event at the shoothouse compound of the JMRC, to partaking in a full force-on-force exercise while wearing multiple integrated laser engagement system gear. MILES is a detection system worn by Soldiers and their vehicles in a training environment to simulate hits and to perform casualty assessment.

“It’s great training, especially for the younger soldiers who normally wouldn’t get this type of training back home,” said Paterson.

Participation in the ABCA program and in Cooperative Spirit 2008 “can do nothing but good,” he added.

New Zealand will benefit in multiple ways from the training received at the JMRC, said Perkins. From receiving hands-on training to working with helicopters, the unit has the ability to see what the other armies can provide for them as well as show the other nations what the New Zealand Army can offer ABCA. The New Zealand Army has years of experience in providing peace keeping around the world.

“Kiwi’s are very open people and are more then willing to work with other countries,” said Perkins.

With Soldiers like Paterson, who has five tours of duty in various countries, and Perkins, who is a 14-year veteran of the Army, New Zealand’s operational experience around the world and their willingness to share those experiences and their training with allied nations makes the New Zealand Army a valuable addition to the ABCA family.



Tough, realistic training prepares Soldiers
-- By Spc. Warren W. Wright, Jr.

JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany – The scenario starts with members from the 2nd / 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment driving into a small village located on the outskirts of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, Germany.

A helicopter circles the tiny village as the Soldiers move to the local police station to speak with the police chief. During the meeting a member of the community enters the station with information. The citizen informs the soldiers that there’s a hostile enemy located in a building across the village. The soldiers act, setting up a cordon of the village, keeping anyone from entering or leaving the area, and then they begin a search of the small town. A small team moves to the building and surrounds it. Then, with the order to go, they move in and assault the building. A fire fight ensues. Loud pops of gunfire echo through the town. After a short time, the enemy is subdued and the soldiers have completed their mission, they’ve captured their high value target.

While this may sound like a very real scenario, it isn’t. The village, while appearing to be very authentic, is a fake. The small village has been built at JMRC to help train Soldiers in counter-insurgency tactics and drills in a realistic environment.

During the scenario the unit had the opportunity to use a simulated medical evacuation with a real helicopter. The team threw smoke as the Huey helicopter moved into the evacuation site.

The smoke coiled around the blades of the chopper as it came in for a landing. Then, with a brisk movement, the Huey took off and the unit continued on.

Interoperability, or the ability of coalition forces to train and operate effectively together, is the main reason for coming here during this multinational training event, said New Zealand Army 2nd Lt. Tane D. North. “It’s a good chance for each nation to offer their experiences and views.”

The New Zealand Soldiers, out of Burnham, New Zealand, are at JMRC training along side coalition nations during Cooperative Spirit 2008, a multinational Combat Training Center rotation intended to test the interoperability of American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand armies (ABCA).

The New Zealand Army has the skill and the knowledge of being deployed in multiple regions around the world, said Lieutenant North.

Taking part in Cooperative Spirit 2008 is “a great opportunity for us to share where we’ve been and what we’ve done,” he added.

The Soldiers are being coached and mentored by JMRC observer/ controllers, or OCs, while they partake in the training missions. It’s the job of the OC to ensure that all training is conducted safely and that the Soldiers receive the feedback necessary to enhance their skills.

“I wish I could work with them longer,” North said of the U.S. Army’s OCs. “They’ve provided us with some excellent, accurate and awesome feedback.”
Throughout the cordon and search scenario, the OCs gave the battalion various challenges, such as using a sniper in the wood lines and placing the high value target outside the initial cordon line in a building outside the city. The unit reacted accordingly and was able to complete the scenario with success.


The New Zealand Army benefited from using the JMRC training facilities, that have a more realistic touch than the training facilities located in New Zealand, said North.


“When it comes to the training we’ve been receiving here, the only way you can improve it is by making it longer,” said Lieutenant North. “The benefits have been amazing.”

Kiwi assault
-- By Spc. Matthew A. Thompson


HOHENFELS, Germany—The vehicles pulled quickly into the area. Dirt and mud flew in all directions as tires spun. Just as quickly they came to a stop, Soldiers poured out of the vehicles. Weapons were held at the ready and aimed at the windows and doors where the enemy shot.


Racing to get to cover, the Soldiers returned fire and forced the enemy to duck or die.


Soldiers with 5th Platoon Bravo Company, 2nd/1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment assaulted a mock Afghan village during training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, near Hohenfels, Germany, Sept. 18.

During the situational training lanes, the Kiwis acted as a quick reaction force that had to respond to reports of enemy forces in the area. Their job was to enter and clear buildings, capture or kill the enemy and search them for information.


“It is good learning. Our first time out we had a few points (to improve), by the second time we rectified them,” said 2nd Lt. Alphe Kennedy, a 19-year-old platoon commander with 5th platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd/1st Royal New Zealand Regiment.


U.S. Army Soldiers serving as observer controllers watched over the New Zealand Soldiers as they performed the training in the village. After they finished, the O/Cs evaluated the Kiwis on their performance.

“They have their way of doing things and their experiences,” Kennedy said. “We can take it and add it to the tool box.”

Other New Zealand Soldiers found the training to be a little difficult because it was different. Pvt. Jacque Wirihanae Hore, a rifleman with 5th platoon said, working side by side with the Americans helped the New Zealanders learn new skills.

The New Zealand Soldiers are here as part of the American, British, Canadian Australian and New Zealand’s Armies program interoperability test.

ABCA’s test may not be the only time some of these countries and Soldiers work together. New Zealand has worked alongside the Australian Army in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. There is also a Provincial Reconstruction team deployed to Afghanistan.

“With the way the world is going, it looks like we’ll be working together a long time,” Kennedy said.

No matter where they deploy or train the New Zealand Army is motivated to get the job done.

“New Zealand’s here, doing it hard, doing it Kiwi style,” Kennedy said. “Kura Takahi Puni, we are ready!”

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New Zealand Army Participates in Cooperative Spirit 2008
New Zealand soldiers participating in a cordon and search training mission during Cooperative Spirit 2008 in Germany
www.liveleak.com/view?i=f96_1222551682
or here www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46475

Keeping It Real
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
20 Sep 2008 Hohenfels DE
Package of Soldiers participating in the Cooperative Spirit 2008 preparing to test the interoperability between American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand armies. Produced by Sgt. Justin Puetz.
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46776

Road Clearance
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
2 Oct 2008 DE
B-Roll of Soldiers performing road clearance exercises for troops of the Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand armies during Cooperative Spirit 2008. Scenes include Soldiers in vehicles, by a road, and on a convoy. Produced by Spc. Dani Carter.
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46836


A-B-C-A Training
Five different nations training together to prepare for real world deployment.
American
British
Canadian
Australian
New Zealand
www.liveleak.com/view?i=67f_1222271172

Opening Cermony Cooperative Spirit 2008
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
26 Sep 2008 Hohenfels DE
Package of the opening ceremonies of "Cooperative Spirit 2008" in Hohenfels, Germany, which is a combination of American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers (ABCA) who are given various drills including assault and improvised explosive device training. Produced by Pfc. Matt Flores. This file is also available in 960 x 720 high definition.
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46355


Hohenfels
American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Soldiers training together and exchanging military tactics and procedures.
Training in Germany.
www.liveleak.com/view?i=33f_1222341156
or here www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46155

Distinguished Visitors Tour - Package
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
24 Sep 2008 DE
Package about officers and officials from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand visiting the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC). Package made from "Distinguished Visitors Tour" in b-roll section. Produced by Spc. Richard Fink
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46228


Distinguished Vistors Tour - B-roll
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
24 Sep 2008 DE
B-roll of officers and officials from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand visiting the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC). Scenes include the officers and officials being shown vehicles and robotics, Soldiers and officials giving presentations and interviews with Lt. Gen. John Gardner and Col. Charles Fattorini discussing what they saw and the importance of JMRC. Produced by Spc. Richard Fink
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46229

Cooperative Rivalry
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
13 Sep 2008 DE
Package about Australian and New Zealand Soldiers spending time together watching a Rugby game.
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=46592


Cooperative Rivalry
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
17 Sep 2008 Hohenfels DE
B-roll of coalition Soldiers watching a Australia versus New Zealand rugby match. Scenes include coalition Soldiers watching the game on a screen, various views of Soldiers cheering.
www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=video/video_show.php&id=45871