Navy personnel have used an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to 'protect' shipping in Cairns Harbour.
The Maritime Deployable Robotic Autonomous Systems and Experimentation Unit (MDREU) is supporting Army's 11th Brigade as part of Exercise Austral Shield from July 12 to 28.
During the exercise, ADF personnel are working with state authorities to test the ADF's short-notice response to a domestic security threat.
As part of the preparations, the AUV team conducted a sonar confidence check of its Bluefin-9 AUV in the vicinity of HMAS Cairns.
Team leader Sub-Lieutenant Aaron Venhuizen said MDREU plays an important role in Defence.
"As Navy decommissions its fleet of Huon-class minehunters, MDREU is bringing online assets that can perform search and detection to protect the fleet," Sub-Lieutenant Venhuizen said.
"We use autonomous underwater vehicles like the Bluefin-9 to search from the surface to the bottom of the ocean."
Sub-Lieutenant Venhuizen said it had been a good experience to exercise in a joint environment and to support Army on Austral Shield.
"We've been getting a lot of support from the 11th Brigade team," he said.
Sub-Lieutenant Venhuizen is only at the start of his Navy career but has enjoyed plenty of opportunities in the ADF.
"Now is a fantastic time to join Defence. We are investing a lot of money into new technology, and my unit is an example of that," he said.
"If you want to do something exciting, out of the box, that could take you all across the country and overseas, Defence is the place to be."
