Defence Australia

In the shadows.

Operating day and night across Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay, Australian Army personnel conducted aviation training, responding to simulated threats in urban and maritime environments, as part of Exercise Nemesis Typhoon.
 
These training activities are essential to ensure the Australian Defence Force remains prepared to respond safely and effectively to short-notice tasks in accordance with government direction.

📷 CPL Lachlan Campbell & SGT Tristan Kennedy

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20 hours ago | [YT] | 558

Defence Australia

Emergency services on the front line

Major Eric Richman will be the first face a soldier sees if they need emergency care on the front line.

Thankfully, it won’t be the last. The emergency medicine specialist is very good at his job – and he’s not alone.

With him is the medical muscle of 2nd Health Battalion’s (2HB) Role 2 Forward (R2F) hospital, deployed to the Philippines as part of Exercise Balikatan 2026.

From the R2F, a team of a dozen Australian medical professionals can provide lifesaving care for soldiers deployed to the front lines, with emergency department doctors, nurses and medics, and a surgical team offering anaesthetists, orthopaedic and general surgery.

📷 LSIS Rikki-Lea Phillips

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1 day ago | [YT] | 449

Defence Australia

Black Hawks back in Townsville 🚁

Australian Army personnel from 16th Aviation Brigade and 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment came together in 📍 Townsville, to conduct Exercise Valkyrie Crawl.

The training saw infantry soldiers integrate with UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, building familiarisation and a basic level of training to ensure soldiers from 1 RAR remain ready to conduct air mobile operations into the future.

Marking the Black Hawk’s second return to Townsville in more than a decade, the activity was a key milestone for the Battalion and their first time working alongside the new UH-60M aircraft.

📷 CPL Riley Blennerhassett & LBDR Lize-Mari Swart

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2 days ago | [YT] | 818

Defence Australia

Load in. Load out.

Australian Army soldiers from the 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, touched down at 📍 Oyster Bay, Philippines, after insertion by V‑22 Ospreys – kicking off intense jungle training alongside US Marines and Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel.

Over the next two weeks, they’ll sharpen their ability to live and fight in some of the most testing conditions on Earth as part of Exercise Balikatan.

📷 LSIS Rikki-Lea Phillips & CPL Jalesa Nomani

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3 days ago | [YT] | 595

Defence Australia

Multilateral transit 🚢 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Toowoomba, Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Charlottetown and United States Navy's USS Ashland in conducting a routine multilateral transit through the 📍 Indo-Pacific.

The multilateral activity included the following practices:
⚓ Officer of the Watch manoeuvres
🚢 Personnel exchanges
🚁 Helicopter cross-decking exercises

HMAS Toowoomba will continue to conduct operations, exercises and other engagements with Australia’s regional partners throughout her Regional Presence Deployment as well as demonstrating Australia’s commitment to, and engagement with, the region.

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4 days ago | [YT] | 598

Defence Australia

An MH-60R Seahawk helicopter prepares to land on HMAS Ballarat during a flying exercise for ASWEX 2026.

ASWEX is an annual, Navy-led, Joint-enabled Field Training Exercise (FTX) focused on Under Sea Warfare (USW). ASWEX 26 is being conducted in the waters off New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria, challenging participating units to track and hunt subsurface threats across a large area.

📷 LSIS Abdus Chowdhury

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5 days ago | [YT] | 344

Defence Australia

Preparing the Jackal 🛡️

Combat Team Jackal, comprising personnel from the Australian Army 🇦🇺 and the New Zealand Defence Force 🇳🇿, participated in live-fire rehearsals during Exercise Balikatan 2026.

The live fire rehearsals were conducted by personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines 🇵🇭 and the United States Marine Corps 🇺🇸 in 📍 Aporawan, Philippines.

Exercise Balikatan 2026 (BK26) is an annual training exercise conducted between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States military designed to enhance military cooperation and readiness.

📷 LSIS Rikki-Lea Phillips

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6 days ago | [YT] | 632

Defence Australia

Sun, Sand and Ammunition 😎

As part of Exercise Balikatan 2026, soldiers from Australia, the United States, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and New Zealand engaged targets with small arms, general machine guns, and 84mm recoilless rifles during a counter‑landing live‑fire activity in the Philippines.

Exercise Balikatan 2026 (BK26) is an annual training exercise conducted between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States military designed to enhance military cooperation and readiness.

📷 LSIS Rikki-Lea Phillips

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1 week ago | [YT] | 711

Defence Australia

Bringing back the boom 💥

Australian Army soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment recently conducted Assault Pioneer training in 📍 Townsville Field Training Area, QLD.
 
During the activity, soldiers carried out explosive breaching and clearance of multiple buildings while operating as assault teams, enabling 1RAR to reduce reliance on specialist engineer support and improve flexibility during future operations and exercises.

📷 LCPL Andrews & Sapper Oliver McKenzie

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1 week ago | [YT] | 649

Defence Australia

NT Defence Week 2026 recently kicked off in Darwin, with the Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Welcome Reception on Monday, bringing together Defence, industry and partners from across the region.

On Tuesday, Defence members, senior leaders and industry experts contributed to panels, deepening local connections and reinforcing the partnerships that enable capability and deterrence.
 
Defence looks forward to presenting the National Defence Strategy 2026, which highlights Northern Australia’s critical role as a strategic hub for projection, sustainment and operations in the Indo-Pacific.
 
Strengthening the North is central to delivering a strategy of denial and building credible deterrence through deeper integration with industry and partners.

📷 LSIS Ernesto Sanchez Jr & LAC Ryan Howell

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1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 156