The future of Indo-Pacific defence and security was put to the test during Exercise Valiant Shield.
Led by the United States, with participants from Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, the exercise challenged allies and partners to overcome high-end threats to the region.
Over 10 days, the five nations trained to detect, locate, track and engage shared threats across the West Pacific in the maritime, air, land, space and cyber domains.
Scenarios ranged from coordinating air and maritime forces against subsurface threats, to defending against cruise and ballistic missile attacks, and repairing damaged runways.
About 80 Australian Defence Force personnel were embedded across different components and locations, including Guam, Japan, Hawaii and at sea with a US Navy Carrier Strike Group.
A RAAF P-8A Poseidon deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
ADF personnel in Air Battle Management and Integrated Air and Missile Defence teams integrated with partners to defend against real and simulated air and missile threats.
'Over 10 days of intensive, high-end operations, Valiant Shield demonstrated that our alliance is not just a partnership on paper, but a formidable, unified force.'
Director General Air Command Operations Air Commodore Peter Robinson said Exercise Valiant Shield allowed the ADF to build experience in existing and emerging fields.
"ADF personnel brought proven skill sets and capabilities to Exercise Valiant Shield 26, especially in anti-submarine warfare and air battle management," Air Commodore Robinson said.
"The value of Exercise Valiant Shield 26 is not only the cooperation it demands, but also the exposure to new and emerging capabilities that each nation brings, and how they're employed in contemporary scenarios.
"These capabilities are essential to how we achieve National Defence Strategy objectives, namely how we hold potential adversary forces at risk and degrade their willingness to employ military force or coercion against us."
For the first time in a major international exercise, the Boeing Defence Australia MQ-28A Ghost Bat demonstrated how collaborative combat aircraft can integrate, enhance and complement other platforms.
Ghost Bat participation was conducted through a US-led program and involved observers and support from the RAAF.
During the exercise, a Ghost Bat flew alongside a United States Air Force (USAF) F-15EX Eagle II aircraft and participated in agile combat employment (ACE) operations at Rota International Airport in the Northern Mariana Islands.
ACE operations included forward arming and refuelling point (FARP) serials, where a USAF HC-130J Combat King - a heavily modified Hercules transport aircraft - landed and transferred fuel directly into the Ghost Bat.
Practising FARP and ACE operations will help demonstrate how the Ghost Bat could operate from airfields closer to the battlespace and away from main operating bases.
The pinnacle event for Exercise Valiant Shield was a sinking exercise of the decommissioned USS Juneau in the Philippine Sea.
Australia supported the sinking exercise with RAAF armament technicians loading a pair of Australian-supplied AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles onto a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-8A Poseidon.
'ADF personnel brought proven skill sets and capabilities to Exercise Valiant Shield 26, especially in anti-submarine warfare and air battle management.'
It was the first time RNZAF P-8As launched Harpoons in a sinking exercise, which also involved a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine launching torpedoes at the target.
A United States Air Force B-2A Spirit stealth bomber also participated, launching an AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).
Air Commodore Robinson said Exercise Valiant Shield demonstrated the value of Australia's allies and partners as force multipliers.
"Australia's defence and security would be much harder if we were acting alone, and this exercise demonstrates the degrees to which we are able to integrate with each other in the battlespace," Air Commodore Robinson said.
"Our involvement in Exercise Valiant Shield 26 demonstrates Australia's value as a credible and reliable security partner, including our contribution to the collective security of the Indo-Pacific."
Admiral Jay Clark, the US Navy's Officer Conducting the Exercise, said Exercise Valiant Shield demonstrated the closeness of the relationships between participant nations.
"What we promised in preparation, we proved in execution," Admiral Jay Clark said.
"Over 10 days of intensive, high-end operations, Valiant Shield demonstrated that our alliance is not just a partnership on paper, but a formidable, unified force.
"By integrating with multinational allies, we have proved our collective readiness to defend our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific."
