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The ADF has deployed a C-27J Spartan and 70 personnel to support France’s multinational field training exercise Croix du Su in New Caledonia.
The program, which will also be held in Wallis and Futuna, will also be attended by Australian combat engineers, military police, health teams and planning personnel.
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Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones said continued regional engagement was critical, with like-minded nations addressing similar security and humanitarian concerns.
“The ADF’s continued support to French-led Exercise Croix du Sud demonstrates the importance we place on collective action and cooperation in response to disasters and security incidents. The Pacific has a proud record of working together across common security concerns, which will continue long into the future,” VADM Jones said.
“The specialist staff deployed to New Caledonia will strengthen our interoperability with partners and work to improve regional resilience to HADR events.
“We look forward to continuing our commitment to multinational exercises and regional security.”
The exercise is scheduled to conclude on 4 May.
Australia has 10 Spartans operated by No. 35 Squadron from RAAF Base Amberley, which now focuses on peacetime operations such as search and rescue and aeromedical operations.
First delivered in 2015 under AIR 8000 Phase 2, the C-27J Spartan replaced the RAAF’s fleet of Caribous.
The 30,500-kilogram light tactical aircraft is designed to fit between the country’s smaller CH-47F Chinooks and larger C-130J Hercules and C-17A Globemaster IIIs.
In July 2021, the C-27J saw its role redefined to encompass humanitarian disaster relief tasks after again failing to receive final operational capability.
Captain Mark Sirois, RAN, said Croix du Sud would help shape Australia’s HADR response capabilities.
“I’m proud to deploy alongside men and women from across the services who each possess a specific skill set honed through experience and high-quality training,” CAPT Sirois said.
“We look forward to working alongside the Croix du Sud participant nations to provide core and specialist input into multinational and multi-agency planning for HADR response scenarios.”
