EXPANDED EX WALLABY

Exercise Wallaby kicks it up a notch with the first-ever inclusion of a bilateral Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) segment, complete with the participation of all three Services.

A huge tidal wave had hit the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, without warning. Main roads were flooded. Trees were uprooted. Civilians were injured and many, swept away.

Based on the tsunami that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2010, this was the exercise scenario presented to troops from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Time was, of course, essential and the SAF deployed Army, Navy and Air Force elements to assist the ADF in HADR efforts.

The Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Resolution was used to coordinate operations with the set-up of a Combined Task Force Headquarters (CTF HQ) that comprised planners from both countries' armed forces.

Bilateral collaboration

This was the first-ever HADR component of Exercise Wallaby, the SAF's annual training held in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) of Queensland. Codenamed Trident, this segment involved 605 soldiers, 232 sailors, 100 airmen and 14 ADF planners and observers.

Held from 18 to 24 Nov 2013, Exercise Trident enhanced cooperation and interoperability between the SAF and the ADF in the area of HADR operations, which has grown in importance in recent years.

Brigadier-General (BG) Desmond Tan, the SAF Exercise Director for frame three of Exercise Wallaby, elaborated that this was because of the recent increase in natural disasters occurring in the ASEAN region.

"Australia has a huge coastline and this allowed us to conduct Ship-to-Shore operations which were akin to what we did in Operation Flying Eagle when the tsunami struck Aceh in 2004. Since then, we haven't deployed this level of task force, so we thought we would try to keep our HADR readiness and capabilities current," he explained.

The Chief Guards Officer also added that Exercise Trident allowed the SAF and ADF to exchange ideas and practices, learn from each other and maintain the ability to send their forces to assist any country when disaster strikes.

The exercise involved a substantial amount of planning and coordination among the SAF officers from the Army and Navy, as well as the ADF planners.

Termed Liaison Officers (LOs), these personnel from both countries gathered information from their respective agencies - the SAF from their ground troops and the ADF from their civilian agencies and armed forces - to update and coordinate their plans with each other, and fed the information back to their agencies so that the operations could run smoothly.

The Navy LOs, who were based in the CTF HQ, liaised with the Army troops on the ground and updated the HQ accordingly. They also developed and coordinated plans with their Australian counterparts.

For Captain (CPT) Joshua He, working with the ADF was a valuable learning experience as there were ample opportunities for the sharing of information and processes.

The Navy LO and Task Group Assistant Operations Officer in the CTF HQ, who has worked with several Australian Navy Officers, said: "I worked closely with Lieutenant Commander (LT CDR) Joscelyn Oates... It was interesting to hear her perspectives on the HADR mission and their training doctrine in conducting such missions."

The information shared by the ADF also included their knowledge of the local areas and the sea conditions, which made it easier for the SAF to execute the mission effectively.

CPT He added: "They gave us some tips and I also showed them how we do things on board our ships. This allowed us to improve our best practices as well as our standard operating procedures."

The 26-year-old's sentiments were shared by LT CDR Oates, a Navy LO from ADF. "From our meetings, I've learnt that the Australian Navy has a very similar capability and planning process to the RSN. Watching each other in operations now will come in useful when a real situation occurs."

Providing medical support

Once the initial planning was done, the CTF HQ sent out two teams to survey the site. The Needs Assessment Survey Team (NAST), consisting of engineers and doctors, were flown into the disaster area by a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Super Puma to assess the damage while the Beach Survey Team (BST) travelled by Fast Craft Utility (FCU) boats to scout for beach-landing sites.

The FCUs and Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo Vs (LARC-Vs) were then used to ferry 5-tonner trucks containing reconstruction materials and supplies in a Ship-to-Shore operation. These carriers also transported bulldozers which helped to pave the way for the trucks to move with ease to the disaster site and to clear the roads for the ADF to enter.

After finding an appropriate location for the set-up of a makeshift medical station, the NAST team gave the go-ahead for the medical team from Combat Service Support Battalion (CSSB) to fly into the disaster area.

Time was of the essence in administering treatment to the casualties. Doctors and medics had to work as fast as possible to scavenge for any usable materials - such as tables, chairs and working lights amid the damaged infrastructure - to create a working hospital environment.

Despite being armed with limited medical supplies, the Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) battalion created eight medical stations.

With 60 SAF personnel, including five doctors, these NSmen worked on a 12-hour shift in order for the medical stations to be run 24/7. Throughout this time, the team's reaction to various scenarios, such as a mass casualty situation, was tested.

Explaining the rationale for the multiple scenarios, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (NS) (Dr) Koh Poh Koon said: "This puts NSmen in their training mindset so that when overwhelming casualties happen, they know how to prioritise and issue timely treatment."

The CSSB Commanding Officer (CO) added that being on a three-week In-Camp Training session and working in an HADR operation allowed the NSmen team to better understand the needs of victims in such situations.

"It could happen to any of us... Practising this scenario in Exercise Wallaby gives us the comfort and confidence that if disaster strikes Singapore, we are ready to stand up and be of help to our own people," he said.

Medical support at a glance...

8 medical stations
60 SAF personnel, including 5 doctors
12h shifts, 24/7 operation of medical stations

Light strike power

Besides the HADR component, the other highlight of Exercise Wallaby was the operationalisation of the recently-acquired Light Strike Vehicle Mark (LSV Mk) II. This involved the practising of underslung capabilities through the hooking and unhooking of the vehicle from an RSAF Chinook and the integration of the LSV Mk II with other SAF assets such as the AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopter.

Weighing 2,800 kg with a full combat load, this lightweight yet powerful vehicle can move up to 110kmh. Its manoeuvring skills were put to the test on the vast landscape of SWBTA, an area several times the size of Singapore. Gliding easily over cross-country terrains, climbing slopes up to 45 degrees, going up steps in an urban environment and travelling through streams up to 0.6m in depth are capabilities which the LSV Mk II boasts.

Primarily a quick eliminator of armoured vehicles, the LSV Mk II has three variants. The Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) variant operates the 40mm AGL system as well as the General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). The Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) variant operates the Vehicle Launched Spike System (VLSS), which has a range of up to 4km. Lastly, the six-seater Utility variant is used generally for the transportation of troops.

Integrated live-firing

Despite its mobility and firepower, the LSV Mk II does not typically operate on its own.

"Usually it's augmented with air elements in an integrated strike, which allows us to capitalise on the (combined) firepower," elaborated BG Tan.

This was demonstrated on 19 Nov 2013, when the LSV Mk II's prowess was tested in an integrated live firing, together with two Apaches. The scenario was of an enemy convoy sighting by another asset that was also participating in Exercise Wallaby for the first time - the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

After real-time battlefield information of the enemy s location was sent from the UAV back to HQ, the Apaches were activated to fire their 70mm aerial rockets and 30mm M230 Chain Gun.

Meanwhile, five LSV Mk IIs had already moved in on the target. Once the cue was given, the LSV Mk IIs finished the enemies off with their Spike missiles, AGLs and GPMGs.

On the success of the exercise, CPT Wang Jian Guo, who fired the first missile from the Apache in the integrated strike, felt that there were many lessons learnt leading up to it, especially in the area of communications.

"For this integrated live firing, we spent the last three months doing lots of ground preparation such as coordinating with the Army and going through the sequence of what we would be doing," explained the Apache Pilot from 120 Squadron (SQN).

Tactical battle drills

Apart from having the space to conduct integrated live firing, SWBTA, with its unpredictable terrains and large land space, provided the opportunity for the Light Strike platoon to practise their tactical drills.

To fully operate an LSV Mk II, every member of the platoon must not only be cross-trained in each other s roles, but also learn up to 15 battle drills, which include anti-ambush, anti-artillery and anti-sniper drills. One of the more memorable drills for 3rd Sergeant (3SG) (NS) Toh Kai En was the anti-minefield drill.

If an LSV Mk II accidentally sets off a mine and becomes immobilised, it is up to the one behind it to get the affected vehicle out of the danger zone as fast as possible.

In this situation, the vehicle commander from the LSV Mk II behind has to get off the vehicle, attach a tow strap to the affected vehicle and let the driver know when it is safe to backtrack and tow the vehicle out of harm's way.

"This (towing of vehicle) requires a lot of coordination between the vehicle commander and the driver. It's very hard to communicate properly over the loud engine noise coming from the LSVs, especially when the clock is ticking," explained the 3SG (NS) Toh, an LSV Mk II vehicle commander.

"Due to this difficulty, victory is sweeter when we succeed."

Another drill which also made an impact on the Section Commander of the Light Strike Platoon was the anti-aircraft drill. If an aircraft approaches, the LSV Mk IIs which are moving together have to evacuate as quickly as possible or risk being spotted.

But if a helicopter approaches, the LSV Mk IIs are able to take it on with their Spike missiles or GPMGs in order to buy some time and make a quick getaway.

Future plans

Having trained in SWBTA for the past 22 years, the SAF was more than grateful to the Australian government and ADF for the use of the area, said BG Tan. "It allows us to conduct live firing, something which is not possible in Singapore's limited training area. This training cooperation continues to reinforce the strong bilateral relationship that we have."

For 3SG (NS) Toh, training in SWBTA had given him more confidence in his ability to handle different situations.

"In Exercise Wallaby, the unpredictable terrains and drills help us better prepare for problematic situations, so that we know exactly what to do," he said.

Conducted from 3 Oct to 30 Nov 2013, the exercise was mainly executed by HQ Guards and the 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade. More than 5,000 personnel and 300-plus SAF platforms were involved.

However, whether the HADR segment will become a norm in future exercises remains to be seen.

BG Tan said: "It all depends on the resources and training commitment from both the SAF and ADF, and this will differ from year to year. We will also plan and conduct each year's exercise depending on the requirements of that year."

Dr Ng visits Exercise Wallaby

Said Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen during his visit to Exercise Wallaby on 19 Nov 2013: "I think that increasingly, our militaries will be called upon (to respond to disasters) and it s a significant capability that we should all build up and this (Exercise Wallaby) is a good opportunity."

During his visit to RSS Resolution, Dr Ng, together with Australian Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert, observed a medical evacuation mission using a Chinook. Both ministers proceeded to watch the integrated live firing, after which Dr Ng affixed a vehicle plate onto a Light Strike Vehicle Mark II to mark the operationalisation of the platform.

The SAF's tri-Service capabilities and operations were also commended by Mr Robert.

"Not only in terms of equipment you bought or the 5,000 combat men and women you have, but your capability to develop these on the ground, coordinated, to have a joint fire effect not just on land, but also in the air is truly impressive. What I've seen today is a truly potent capability," he said.