The Australian Army has held a night-time urban clearance training at the abandoned Capricorn International Resort in Yeppoon, Queensland.
Clearing operations are conducted by ground troops to clear away explosives, remove obstacles, or neutralize enemies in a given area.
During the drills, a CH-47F Chinook helicopter carried an infantry platoon from The Royal Queensland Regiment’s 31st/42nd Battalion (31/42RQR) to the location.
The heavy lift rotorcraft was operated by the 5th Aviation Regiment. They also provided equipment transport for insertion and extraction throughout the simulation.
Upon arrival, 31/42RQR encountered barriers and fences arranged by the site’s management to deter squatters and trespassers.
“That created challenges for our recon teams regarding mobility,” 31/42RQR Platoon Commander Lt. Lawrence Long explained.
“But our patrols could gather valuable information and report back. Those reports helped us identify corridors into the area.”
‘Pushing’ Warfighters
The missions involved the clearance of a large complex held by an “enemy” team.
Some areas were dim due to irregular outdoor lighting and were only visible by moonlight, the army wrote.
“[It] was fine until you moved into the darkness of the building,” Long stated. “That’s where the [night vision goggles] struggled with the absence of ambient light.”
The simulation concluded with the platoon practicing various urban clearing tactics, including how to be flexible in designating troops to isolated areas and managing them in individual numbers instead of larger units.
“Having what is essentially a small village with multi-storey buildings greatly enhanced the training. Our soldiers hadn’t encountered such complex terrain before,” Long said.
“And since the sections hadn’t tackled such complexity previously, it really pushed them to consider more angles.”
The Australian Army recently integrated the 31/42RQR’s conventional warfare roles with homeland security missions.
Alongside supporting battle groups, the regiment now deploys for critical asset protection and vehicle checkpoints.
