Aviators from 65 Air Base Recovery Squadron (65ABRS) engaged with Indo-Pacific allies in open dialogues and exchanged valuable engineering insights during Exercise Silver Flag in Guam last month.
In addition to the field training exercise they undertook, members also participated in the Indo-Pacific Unity Allies and Partners Engineer Summit, alongside Indo-Pacific allies.
Squadron Leader Lee Thompson, of 65ABRS, led the team for the exercise component of the activity. She was proud of her team's efforts during this activity with Australia's allies and partners.
"The 65ABRS team were fantastic. We learnt a lot about airfield damage repair to take back to the squadron and we were able to work alongside our allied partners," Squadron Leader Thompson said.
"I was very proud of the team; they were willing to learn, performed well and shared their knowledge and expertise with exercise participants. They represented the squadron, Air Force and Australia superbly.
"It's always a privilege to be able to work with our close allies, the USAF [US Air Force], increase our interoperability and further our longstanding relationship."
The USAF and the RAAF have a long history of collaboration in the engineering space, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region since World War 2.
RAAF Base Townsville, where 65ABRS is headquartered, hosted the USAF's 5th Air Force in 1942 and 1943, including supporting allied forces during the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Exercises such as Silver Flag provide an opportunity to further this long-standing relationship.
Leading Aircraftman Ryan Wilson, plant operator with 65ABRS, said participating in Silver Flag provided an excellent opportunity to expand his skills in air base recovery.
"During this event, seven nations from the Indo-Pacific region and the USAF collaborated to perform crater repairs, using a variety of heavy machinery, hand tools and concrete mixtures. We also used a dynamic cone penetration tool to measure the compaction of the craters," he said.
"I am excited about the prospect of collaborating on engineering developments that enhance our operational capabilities and strengthen our enduring partnerships."
While there was work and learning to be done, some of Leading Aircraftman Wilson's favourite memories involved socialising with international members after the working day.
"We set up a volleyball net and played several games. It wasn't just a competition between nations; teams were mixed and despite the language differences, we all shared a universal bond of enjoyment, laughter and camaraderie," he said.
