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Australian soldiers are participating in joint jungle warfare training with the Royal Thai Army as part of Exercise Chapel Gold 2018.
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Australian soldiers from Rifle Company Butterworth 122 (RCB 122), the majority of whom are from Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), arrived from their base at Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth for the exercise in Chiang Mai Province.
Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Beck of the Australian Army’s 2nd/30th Training Group, responsible for the military training conducted by RCB 122, said the exercise was a fantastic opportunity to further enhance bilateral ties between two extremely professional military forces.
The bilateral training activity focuses on jungle warfare techniques and tactical procedures including counter-insurgency training.
“The training program includes tactical attack and defence serials, counter insurgency training, jungle survival activities, close quarter battle training and combat shooting, and will culminate in combined field training in the mountains around Chiang Dao in the north of the country,” said the 2nd/30th Training Group’s Regimental Sergeant Major, WO1 Adrian Wilson, adding that the RCB soldiers were looking forward to spending time in the field with their Thai counterparts.
Following the exercise the Australian contingent will visit Kanchanaburi Province and the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. The visiting soldiers will remember where 1,362 Australians perished during the building of the Thai-Burma railway.
“The training program includes tactical attack and defence serials, counter insurgency training, jungle survival activities, close quarter battle training and combat shooting, and will culminate in combined field training in the mountains around Chiang Dao in the north of the country,” RSM Wilson said.
Exercise Chapel Gold is highly valued by the Australian Army as an annual training activity that increases military interoperability and cultural understanding through shared learning.
