During Exercise Diamond Strike, a group of local Ingham citizens from the Hinchinbrook Shire sat in a temporary emergency assembly area on the outskirts of Ingham while they waited to be escorted to the airstrip as part of a simulated non-combatant evacuation. They were participating in the exercise as part of the Hinchinbrook Shire.
The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) had told the locals that Australian citizens and authorised foreign nationals will be evacuated to a safe haven in order to get them away from the deteriorating security situation.
During the exercise, elements of the 7th Brigade’s Battle Group Ram and a company from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) were deployed into an airmobile operation where reconnaissance units had landed just a few days before by MV-22 Ospreys from the United States Marine Corps.
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Watson, Commanding Officer of Battle Group Ram, stated that the training would not be feasible without the assistance of the Hinchinbrook Shire and the surrounding communities.
“The residents of Ingham have added a layer of realness to this exercise,” stated Lieutenant Colonel Watson, who went on to say that our soldiers are being forced to learn and adapt to shifting environmental and security situations as a result of the exercise.
Residents were transported from the emergency assembly location to a handling centre at the airfield, where they were processed by a DFAT crisis response team.
The statement was made by Lieutenant Colonel Watson that “operations such as this are a whole-government effort” and that “we never work alone.”
“It is essential that we maintain a close working relationship with DFAT and other government agencies so that when the time comes for us to be called upon for potential contingencies, we understand each other from the very beginning.”
Andrew Cripps, the Deputy Mayor of Hinchinbrook Shire and a participant in the exercise, stated that citizens were aware of the significance of the Australian Defense Force carrying out the exercise in their backyard.
“We’re proud to have the ADF train in our region, and we know how training is crucial to our national security,” Mr. Cripps said. “We’re also proud to have the ADF train in our region.”
