South Queensland Prepares for Multinational Military Exercise
Almost 3,000 personnel from Australia and four partner nations will converge on South-East and Central Queensland next week for one of the country’s largest military training events.
Running from 10 June to 10 July, the South Queensland Warfighter exercise will involve troops and equipment from the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade alongside forces from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. According to the Australian Defence Force, the activity is second in scale only to Exercise Talisman Sabre and serves as a key readiness trial for the brigade.
Training will take place by day and night in and around Rockhampton, Gladstone, Livingstone Shire and the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, with additional manoeuvres expected along nearby coastal zones. The ADF has advised residents that operations will feature pyrotechnics, live ammunition, armoured vehicle movements and military aircraft.
Road users on the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Shoalwater Bay have been warned to anticipate heavier military traffic throughout the month. Drivers are urged to slow down and exercise caution when passing convoys.
A separate United States contingent will conduct concurrent training in the region, although specific locations and numbers have not been disclosed.
In a statement, the ADF thanked local communities for their ongoing support and emphasised that the presence of foreign and Australian forces is part of routine regional security cooperation.
