In a landmark first, Australian Army soldiers joined their Japanese and United States counterparts in a combined mortar live-fire on Japanese soil, demonstrating the growing strength of trilateral defence cooperation during Exercise Orient Shield.
Soldiers fired from different positions onto the same target by day and night, working as an integrated force.
Australian Lieutenant Chethiya Galhenage, who led the forward observation post, said the complex fire mission highlighted the benefits of combined training with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and the US Army.
"Collaborating with the JGSDF and US Army on illumination fire missions made it clear that even with different tactics and communication, we can coordinate and succeed," Lieutenant Galhenage said.
The weather on day one tested the soldiers' fortitude, with heavy rain washing out the live-fire and forcing the platoons to bed down and attempt to stay dry.
But clear skies boosted morale on day two, and the Australian platoon from 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, fired 315 high-explosive mortar rounds on target in under 24 hours.
'Collaborating with the JGSDF and US Army on illumination fire missions made it clear that even with different tactics and communication, we can coordinate and succeed.'
Australian Mortar Platoon Sergeant Bryce Querruel said his soldiers relished the live-fire, but the highlight was hands-on integration training.
"The training day with the Japan Middle Army was awesome - to be able to see how the Japanese use different pieces of equipment to achieve the same effect on the ground," Sergeant Querruel said.
"We were also lucky enough to observe the US Army 60mm mortar range, and were able to join them on the line to support their fire mission.
"It was really good to see how they employ the 60mm versus 81mm in different environments to support infantry troops, and it's a great experience for the guys to get that exposure."
Missouri National Guard Staff Sergeant Jonathan Burken said that with limited opportunities to live-fire their 60mm mortars, his soldiers learned a lot from watching the Australian mortar platoon.
"We live-fire twice a year, which is not very much, so it's nice to be able to watch a proficient active duty unit," Staff Sergeant Burken said.
"Specifically, to see how they prepare and lay in their base plate, and how they communicate while executing live-fire; there's little things like that we can learn from the Aussies to tidy up our act a little bit."
Coordinating trilateral fire missions onto a single target in unpredictable weather, Staff Sergeant Burken admitted the exercise was a challenge, but one that proved rewarding and effective.
"It is the maximum growth in the shortest amount of time - it is stressful but worthwhile, and it's definitely a cool experience," he said.
