DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
MSPA 479/10
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Soldiers drop in to Exercise Hamel 2010
MORE than 200 paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
(3RAR), dropped in to Exercise Hamel 2010, near Charters Towers, west of
Townsville, Queensland, this morning.
Major Giles Cornelia, Operations Officer 3RAR, said the parachute insertion was a
part of Exercise Hamel 2010, and demonstrated the capability of the Australian
Army’s Airborne Combat Team.
“The significance of this jump is that it demonstrates our readiness to operate in the
defence of Australia and its interests,” Major Cornelia said.
The jump was also a test of soldiers’ courage and skill.
“A parachute insertion is a mixture of apprehension and a degree of exhilaration upon
exit. The level of training and confidence in our paratroopers is particularly high, due
in part to the rigors of the basic parachute course at Nowra, NSW, but also because of
frequent individual and collective training activities,” Major Cornelia said.
The paratroopers were flown to the drop zone by RAAF C-130 and C-17 aircraft.
Exercise Hamel 2010 is designed to enhance the Army’s ability to fight and operate in
a modern, complex battlespace, and involves 6000 personnel from the Army, Navy
and Air Force. It will test the combat capability of Army’s 3rd Brigade, and is the first
exercise for the newly formed Forces Command.
“Exercise Hamel is the foundation war-fighting exercise that is the focus of the
Australian Army this year. It is an exercise designed to test and evaluate the units and
the formation participating, to the highest levels of confidence,” Major Cornelia said.
Media Note:
Still images form this activity are available from the Defence web site at
Video will be made available on the Defence web site at
Media contact:
Defence Media Liaison: (02) 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
Up to the minute information on Australian Defence Force operations is now
available on Twitter at twitter.com/AusDefenceForce.
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