Soldiers rehearse homeland security

More accustomed to the grey of the Navy uniform, the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, Western Australia, took on a shade of green last month as soldiers conducted vital training.

CAPTION: Soldiers from 13th Brigade take part in Exercise Litani Combine 2025 at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, Western Australia. Story by Major Dean Benson. Photos by Corporal Nakia Chapman.

Units from 13th Brigade formed a security response task unit for Exercise Litani Combine, working with government and industry counterparts to rehearse drills for the protection of critical infrastructure.

Mainly comprising soldiers from the 16th Battalion, the Royal Western Australia Regiment (16RWAR), the unit integrated with WA Police and the Australian Federal Police.

Commanding Officer 16RWAR, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Davidson, said the weekend training activity was complex.

“For a three-day activity, there was months of detailed planning and carefully considered engagement with our partners to make this possible,” Lieutenant Colonel Davidson said.

“This was far from a standard training weekend. We had soldiers patrolling with weapons on civilian streets and among local businesses, and even had our small boat platoon patrolling in the vicinity of local fishing boats.

CAPTION: Soldiers from 13th Brigade take to water for Exercise Litani Combine.

“This is critical training for our soldiers as part of our mission under the 2nd (Australian) Division to defend the Australian homeland, and none of it would have been possible without the cooperation of our civilian partners.”

Some soldiers were called to a real-world emergency situation, providing first aid and safely directing traffic after a civilian vehicle incident.

“We’re incredibly proud of the professionalism and compassion those soldiers demonstrated in response to that unfortunate incident. It was obvious their training kicked in,” Lieutenant Colonel Davidson said.

Exercise Litani Combine was part of the build-up to 13th Brigade’s main training effort of the year, Exercise Arras Sprint, and tested the soldier’s tactics, techniques and procedures when faced with a critical infrastructure protection task.

“Our soldiers have one of the largest areas of operations in the world here in WA, and so it is really important that we test them in a wide range of settings and in the face of varying scenarios,” Lieutenant Colonel Davidson said.

16RWAR is an infantry unit within 13th Brigade, primarily based in the Perth suburb of Karrakatta.

The battalion comprises a mix of full-time and reservist soldiers and provides a conventional infantry capability to the 2nd (Australian) Division, whose primary mission is the defence of the Australian homeland.

CAPTION: Soldiers from 13th Brigade take part in Exercise Litani Combine 2025 at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderso.

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