On a comfortable 26-degree winter's day in Far North Queensland, Army personnel, vehicles and equipment from Brisbane's 11th Brigade arrived by air and land to begin Exercise Austral Shield 2024.
Exercise Austral Shield is running from July 12 to July 28 in Cairns, Darwin, RAAF Base Curtin in Western Australia, and Christmas Island.
The biennial exercise ensures the ADF is ready to respond at short notice to direct threats against Australia and its territories, working side by side with state and federal authorities.
Army Reserve soldiers from 11th Brigade are responding to a 'threat' to Cairns by deploying its short-notice Security Response Task Unit (SECRES TU), which includes infantry, engineering, transport, signals and other personnel.
During the exercise, the SECRES TU, centred on 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment (9RQR), will secure critical infrastructure around Cairns, including the city's airport and the Barron Gorge hydroelectric power station.
Combat engineer Sapper Max Spokes, an electrical engineer with Etex Australia, deployed to Cairns from Bundaberg as part of 9RQR.
"It's great to get up to Cairns for Austral Shield and be able to fit that around my usual employment," Sapper Spokes said.
"I find both my employer and the Army Reserve are very flexible, allowing me to follow both jobs.
"The Army offers me a lot of benefits and incentives, like the Employer Support Payment Scheme, so my employer is also supported while I'm away on Army training courses or other exercises."
Commander of 11th Brigade, Brigadier Richard Peace, said the exercise was a testament to the ADF's cooperation and interoperability with state governments and emergency services.
"Austral Shield enables us to practise responding to threats, in the setting of the greater area of Cairns, where we can protect vital assets," Brigadier Peace said.
"We're working with the local population and the Queensland Police Service to ensure everyone's safety."
Brigadier Peace also highlighted the value of being part of the Army Reserve.
"Being a reservist is an opportunity to do something different, learn new skills, and join a great network of like-minded individuals. It's amazing, the backgrounds of people you meet," he said.
