As artillery pounded enemy positions, engineers carved lanes through obstacles, and infantry soldiers pushed relentlessly towards a trench line, supported by cavalry and direct-fire support weapons.
These demanding conditions formed the backdrop to Exercise Diamond Dagger, a complex combined-arms live-fire exercise undertaken by Army’s 7th Brigade throughout May and June.
Commander 7th Brigade Brigadier Jennifer Harris said all the teams had built up live-fire proficiency from small teams in their core trades throughout the year.
“Exercise Diamond Dagger brings those smaller teams together, demonstrating and practising potent combined-arms warfighting effects at a larger scale,” Brigadier Harris said.
“I am particularly excited to be out this year with our Republic of Fiji Military Forces’ Daimani Company, currently integrated with 8/9 RAR [8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment].”
Designed to prepare soldiers for the realities of combat, the live-fire exercise placed participants under high levels of stress while operating in the noise, confusion and pressure of a simulated battlefield.
“7th Brigade is Army’s ready brigade. We are responsible for generating those ready forces that must be able to deploy at a moment’s notice, anywhere in the world,” Brigadier Harris said.
“Diamond Dagger helps us assure the forces that are currently ready, whilst simultaneously preparing the next group who will take over later in the year.
“We are always ready to respond should the order come.”
‘We are evolving how we operate in multiple areas, through the use of unmanned aerial systems at the tactical level.’
Delivering training at this scale required significant planning and rigorous safety measures. The exercise took training to the company level, with combat teams of up to 150 personnel supported by a range of enablers.
Commanding Officer 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, Lieutenant Colonel Max Williams served as director of practice, overseeing planning and safety considerations.
“Exercise Diamond Dagger involved a comprehensive safety architecture to ensure that we could get after the sort of training priorities essential to ensuring the brigade remains as ready as possible,” Lieutenant Colonel Williams said.
“We had to ensure we were maximising the training value across all levels, from individual to combat-team level. It required deliberate progression of training to ensure that by the time we executed in a large team environment, training was safe and as effective as possible.”
Beyond sharpening warfighting skills, the exercise was also a proving ground for new capabilities and evolving tactics.
“Our Army continues to adapt in stride, and this exercise provided an excellent opportunity to test and demonstrate new capabilities,” Brigadier Harris said.
“We are evolving how we operate in multiple areas, through the use of unmanned aerial systems at the tactical level.
“We continue to integrate the recently introduced counter UAS [uncrewed aerial system] capability delivered by Land 156, leveraging lessons from around the globe. Being able to integrate that at multiple levels enhances the warfighting protection for our forces.”
