Lessons from Ukraine conflict shaping Australian military readiness for war

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CANBERRA (London Post with ABC News) DR. Majid Khan-Although the front lines of the Ukrainian conflict are far from the Australian coast, tactics observed in combat in Europe shape the way Australian forces prepare for war.

Tactical combat in Ukraine affects how Australian forces prepare for war. More than 1,500 defenders are taking part in military exercises in Northeast Queensland. For the first time in decades, soldiers are paying attention to their trench warfare skills.

In Townsville, Australia’s largest garrison, his more than 1,500 soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Brigade are being trained in exercises aimed at synthesizing old and new lessons.

As part of a simulated war on 50,000 acres of dense scrubland, engineers constructed a vast network of underground trenches for troops to locate, capture, and defend.

A network of trenches was built with the help of soldiers from Papua New Guinea.

Australian soldiers had never fought in trenches since the Korean War 70 years ago, and trench training was not necessary in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As of 2020, nearly 20,000 of his ADF members have been deployed as part of COVID-19 support operations. This included manning border crossings and transferring people from airports to quarantine hotels.

“The rigorous and demanding training we see in the 3rd Brigade today is what is needed after years of carrying bags in the COVID era,” Ryan said.

“They have to find their way back to high readiness.”

Ryan said engaging in hand-to-hand combat on the ground remains inevitable in future conflicts, and cutting the Army’s training and equipment to meet the massive $368 maritime defense budget under the AUKUS contract is unlikely.

“Canberra has a stubborn reluctance to know what’s really going on in the world in places like Ukraine. “This is very important and Australian soldiers will be put back into combat in the future, as they have been for the past 122 years.

“We have to make sure they are well equipped and well trained.”

Brigadier General McCammon said observations from Ukraine reinforced the relevance of traditional tactics that soldiers have practiced for more than a century.

“We’re also seeing things that we’ve always known were important, like armored vehicles and massive combat capabilities,” he said.

“Land disputes are always important.

“It is where decisive action is taken, where people live and where wars are ultimately won.”