The Australian Defence Force's next generation of air warfare instructors have been pushed to their limits during Exercise Diamond Spear, integrating air domain capabilities to deliver long-range maritime strike.
Conducted over several weeks from RAAF Bases Amberley, Williamtown, Tindal and Edinburgh, as well as Headquarters Joint Operations Command, the exercise is the third major milestone in a demanding six-month Air Warfare Instructor Course (AWIC).
Long-range maritime strike was a key focus of Diamond Spear, building on previous Diamond series activities. The complexity of the exercise demanded a high level of integration across numerous air domain capabilities including air combat assets, air battle managers, air mobility and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Exercise Director Group Captain Andrew Hagstrom said the exercise placed personnel in a highly demanding and realistic battlespace.
"Candidates were presented with a realistic operational environment, including complex threats, the challenge of distance and the requirement to integrate multi-domain capabilities," Group Captain Hagstrom said.
The activity sharpened integration skills and prepared individuals to operate as effective warfighting professionals in challenging, multi-domain environments.
Scenarios developed the integrated force's ability to locate, track and hold maritime targets at risk, contributing to the ADF's Strategy of Denial.
"Exercise Diamond Spear emphasised the challenges of coordinating and delivering lethal and survivable long-range maritime strike," Group Captain Hagstrom said.
"This continued to develop the candidates' [ability] to coordinate a wide variety of integrated force capabilities, demonstrating the ADF's ability to hold adversaries at risk, at range."
'Candidates were presented with a realistic operational environment, including complex threats, the challenge of distance and the requirement to integrate multi-domain capabilities.'
Diamond Spear reinforced that mission success cannot happen in isolation - it depends on trust, teamwork and integration. Clear communication and mutual support enable teams to operate cohesively and adapt to dynamic and challenging environments.
"Through a professional exercise control workforce, as well as the inclusion of a broad range of integrated force capabilities, Diamond Spear scenarios comprised contemporary threats and a realistic operating environment to provide challenging tactical problems for the candidates," Group Captain Hagstrom said.
"They [the candidates] were required to develop solutions both in mission planning and in response to changing conditions during execution. This demonstrated the ability of our tactical leaders to manage risk and deliver lethal and survivable long-range maritime strike."
As AWIC enters its final phase, participants will undertake one last high-intensity assessment across Australia's northern approaches: Diamond Storm.
Drawing on their course experience, candidates will be pushed to operate at the highest level before the exercise culminates in a 'Dawn Strike' over RAAF Base Williamtown in late June.
It's a demanding finale, one that marks not just the end of the course, but the moment these aviators prove they are ready to take their place at the cutting edge of air combat.
