NZDF continues Exercise Joint Waka
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has continued its Exercise Joint Waka for Amphibious Task Force (ATF) training with a simulated stability and support exercise at the Devonport Naval Base, it was announced on 22 July.
The exercise, the second in an ongoing series, was based around a scenario that required a military and diplomatic coalition response in the south-west Pacific. The ATF personnel were required to determine how they would respond to the crisis when the port and airfield were unusable. This included conducting a landing across a beach so that land forces, with helicopter support, could secure the port and airfield for follow-on forces.
The ATF is an integrated air force, army and navy team that brings together the assets and expertise of a single service in a joint effort that can move personnel, humanitarian aid supplies and vehicles from ship to shore where there is no port or airfield available, or where disaster or the security situation has rendered a port or airfield unusable.
Exercise Joint Waka has a total of three such iterations for 2016. The final exercise will be a field training exercise that will involve HMNZS Canterbury, a multi-role strategic sealift ship. Exercise Southern Katipo 2017 will also test the amphibious capability of the NZDF.
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