Soldiers drop in to Exercise Hamel 2010

Soldiers drop in to Exercise Hamel 2010*

MORE than 200 paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), dropped in to Exercise Hamel 2010, near Charters Towers, west of Townsville, Queensland, this morning.

Major Giles Cornelia, Operations Officer 3RAR, said the parachute insertion was a part of Exercise Hamel 2010, and demonstrated the capability of the Australian Army’s Airborne Combat Team.

“The significance of this jump is that it demonstrates our readiness to operate in the defence of Australia and its interests,” Major Cornelia said.

The jump was also a test of soldiers’ courage and skill.

“A parachute insertion is a mixture of apprehension and a degree of exhilaration upon exit. The level of training and confidence in our paratroopers is particularly high, due in part to the rigors of the basic parachute course at Nowra, NSW, but also because of frequent individual and collective training activities,” Major Cornelia said.

The paratroopers were flown to the drop zone by RAAF C-130 and C-17 aircraft.

Exercise Hamel 2010 is designed to enhance the Army’s ability to fight and operate in a modern, complex battlespace, and involves 6000 personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. It will test the combat capability of Army’s 3^rd Brigade, and is the first exercise for the newly formed Forces Command.

“Exercise Hamel is the foundation war-fighting exercise that is the focus of the Australian Army this year. It is an exercise designed to test and evaluate the units and the formation participating, to the highest levels of confidence,” Major Cornelia said.

ENDS

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