• Australian and NZ soldiers discuss their similar operational procedures, as an RNZAF NH90 Helicopter takes off in the background, during Exercise Southern Katipo 15 in New Zealand. Credit: Defence
    Australian and NZ soldiers discuss their similar operational procedures, as an RNZAF NH90 Helicopter takes off in the background, during Exercise Southern Katipo 15 in New Zealand. Credit: Defence
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More than 2,000 military personnel from New Zealand and 13 other countries will descend on the south island at the start of October, for an international exercise hosted by the New Zealand Defence Force.

Exercise Southern Katipo 17 (SK17), which runs from 2 October to 18 November, aims to test and evaluate the NZDF’s ability to plan and conduct joint operations involving a range of naval, land, and air assets. It will also involve military personnel from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Fiji, New Caledonia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Tonga, Timor Leste, the UK and the US.

The exercise areas will be the West Coast, Tasman and Marlborough areas, extending south to Greymouth in the west and Kaikoura in the east.

The SK17 exercise scenario will be a continuation of that used in Southern Katipo 15, in which NZ deployed a military contingent to lead a multi-national combined joint task force to will help restore law and order in a fictional South Pacific country called Becara. The multinational task force conducted stability, support and humanitarian operations, including the evacuation of internally displaced people.

However the exercise director, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dransfield, said in SK17 higher threat levels would be used to create more challenging training environments across the spectrum of operations.

“Opposition groups and challenges presented will allow for a range of military and non-military responses to be exercised, both individually as NZDF and collectively with other government agencies, non-governmental organisations and international partners,” LTCOL Dransfield said.

SK17 would build on the cooperation achieved between the NZDF, other government agencies, non-governmental organisations and regional defence partners during recent humanitarian aid operations such as in Fiji and Kaikoura last year, LTCOL Dransfield said.

Major General Tim Gall, Commander Joint Forces NZ, said SK17 would provide participants with a realistic portrayal of an emergency that might arise in the South West Pacific.

“In SK17 we will be dealing with challenges that commanders have to grapple with in real-world operations, such as exercising command and control over units that are operating in remote areas,” he said.

“Our personnel are well-trained and ready to respond to any crisis at home or overseas. And through exercises like SK17 we get the chance to enhance our ability to operate effectively alongside other militaries.”

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