Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) is the deployment of US Marines to Darwin, NT for a six-month rotational period each year, coinciding with the end and onset of the wet season at the Top End. Designed to bolster US theatre engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, it has its roots in the November 2011 agreement between President Barack Obama and then Prime Minister Julia Gillard to expand military cooperation between US and Australia.
This effort followed President Obama’s call for a “Pivot” of US defense posture toward the Asia-Pacific following the drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. To that end, company-size rotations of 200 to 250 Marines have deployed to Robertson Barracks in the outskirts of Darwin, NT in 2012 and 2013. Now in its third iteration, the 2014 deployment of Marines to the MRF-D is its largest one yet and is Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) capable.
The MRF-D is composed of three elements: the ground combat element, logistics element and aviation combat element. Making up this year’s ground combat element were approximately 1,000 Marines from the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment – usually stationed in Camp Pendleton, California.
“Our purpose in the MRF-D is to train alongside our Australian partners and improve both our forces’ capability to plan and conduct joint-operations,” Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Matthews, commander of the 1-5 Marines, said.
Koolendong While on their six-month rotation from April to October 2014, the Marines conducted both unilateral training and bilateral exercises with the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Exercise Koolendong 2014 was the culminating event for the 2014 Marine rotation. The second in the series of exercise, the focus of Koolendong 2014 was to develop increased interoperability at the joint Marine – Australian Army headquarters level in order to command and control a combat operations centre responsible for all aspects of fire and manoeuvre.
“Exercise Koolendong is designed to improve both forces interoperability, and the capacity to effectively respond to regional crises and contingencies,” Colonel David Odom, Commanding Officer of the 4th Marine Regiment, said. “We are excited to work alongside, teach and learn from our Australian allies.”
“Koolendong emulates a deployment to a remote, harsh operating environment,” Commander 1st Brigade, Brigadier General John Frewen, added. “We’re testing some of those things that are hard to do when you go into those harsh operational areas.”
The exercise took place at the expansive Bradshaw Field Training Area from 10 – 26 August 2014 and involved the entire MRF-D with augmentation from the 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force which is stationed in Okinawa, Japan. A total of 1,500 Marines and ADF soldiers were involved in the exercise.
The ADF was represented by 400 soldiers from elements of the Australian Army’s 1 Brigade – M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks from 1st Armoured Regiment, infantry from 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, M777 Howitzers from 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery as well as Bushmasters from the 1st Combat Service Support Battalion. These provided an essential combat support role to the Marines, including protected mobility and extra firepower during the exercise.
“We have them slotted in as part of the Marine battalion, to give the Marines some of the mobility they hadn’t brought with them,” BG John Frewen said. “So Marines travelled around in Bushmasters and M113 APCs while the Abrams provided the heavy direct fire support.”
M777 Howitzers from 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery were also used to provide heavy indirect firepower to the Marines. When Marine artillery forward observers identified a target, they provided information on the target to the Marine brigade’s force fires coordination centre (FFCC), which issued fire missions for Australian M777 Howitzers.
Speaking to ADM, Lance Bombardier Wade Smith, an artillery command systems operator from the 8th/12th Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery, said “Together with the Marines, we worked out a solution for the different ways we do things for essentially the same job, which is to receive fire missions from the FFCC which we are plugged into.”
Air Combat Element For the first time, an Air Combat Element (ACE) has been attached to the MRF-D. The ACE completes the MAGTF capability that the MRF-D contributes. About 100 Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron HMH-463 “Pegasus” and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron MALS-24, as well as four CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopters were detached to RAAF Base Darwin. Captain Clayton Piersall “Beaver”, Assistant Operations Officer and CH-53 pilot of the ACE, said “We are very privileged to be the ACE pioneers in MRF-D. We get to find out what works and what doesn’t, so when the element is expanded in future, we can identify what we need to improve upon for the next time.”
For the duration of Koolendong 2014, all four CH-53s were deployed to Nackeroo Airfield within Bradshaw. The helicopters performed a wide array of roles during the exercise, including supporting company assaults, aerial gunnery with its .50 calibre machine guns, casualty evacuation and delivery of supplies and logistics. The tactical bulk fuel delivery systems on the CH-53s were indispensable in keeping the Australian Abrams tanks running on their missions in the outback. Training was also conducted together with the Australian Army 1st Aviation Regiment’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters, which escorted the Marine helicopters on their missions.
Learning and growing together MRF-D is an important strategic partnership between close allies Australia and the US, and is a critical part of the American pivot to the Asia-Pacific. Exercises like Koolendong 2014 help further strengthen the tight bonds between both militaries.
“The importance of MRF-D and such exercises is that they’re very significant as tangible signs of the strength of the alliance between our two countries, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to build greater interoperability together,” Captain Andy Macak, Company Commander of Charlie Company, 1-5 Marines said.
A major takeaway from the exercise for soldiers on the ground was the opportunity to learn, integrate and execute missions together.
“I know that my guys have learnt a lot away from this experience,” Corporal Andrew Hermann, Assaultman, 1-5 Marines said. “Whether it’s their infantry tactics or seeing how their weapons systems function, we have not had a better opportunity to work this closely with the Australians.”
Note: The author would like to thank Capt. Breck Archer and 1st LT Jeremy Alexander of the MRF-D Public Affairs Office for assistance in completion of this article.
