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The open live-fire training exercise has been pushed back to 2023.
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The Australian Army has announced the postponement of Exercise Chong Ju — a live-fire training exercise at the Puckapunyal Military Area — originally scheduled to take place from 8 August to Sunday, 14 August inclusive, culminating in a firepower demonstration from 16 to 17 August 2022.
The firepower demonstration has now been delayed until 2023, due to the “cumulative impact of frequent rainfall” on the Puckapunyal training area.
In a statement, Army noted that with more rain predicted in the next few days, there is a “heightened risk of injury and damage to the environment and equipment”.
“These weather-related conditions have prevented access to the training area for industry spectators and safety vehicles, which were critical to conducting the exercise,” the statement read.
Previous iterations of the exercise involved a fictional operational scenario that showcased the joint capabilities of Army.
M1A1 Abrams tanks, Australian light armoured vehicles (ASLAVs), an M777A2 howitzer, a Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter and infantry minor team tactics were deployed.
The exercise also provided staff cadets of the Royal Military College - Duntroon with an opportunity to observe, enabling them to explore potential career options.
Exercise Chong Ju would have come off the back of Exercise Koolendong 2022 — a three-week-long combined arms littoral combat scenario over 2,200 personnel from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and US Armed Forces.
The exercise, which was led by the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D), took place at Yampi Sound Training Area and RAAF Base Curtin in Western Australia as well as Mount Bundey Training Area in the Northern Territory.
The training drills aimed to build interoperability through a joint response to a simulated regional crisis.
[Related: ADF, US forces wrap-up Exercise Koolendong]
