U.S., Australian military hold HIMARS training for Talisman Sabre

July 9 (UPI) -- U.S. military personnel participated in high mobility artillery rocket system rapid infiltration training in Queensland, Australia, as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019.

Members of the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force demonstrated the HIRAIN capability to their Australian counterparts Saturday. The biennial training, which runs from June through August, is an opportunity to increase interoperability and sustain readiness, the U.S. Marine Corps said Monday.

Marines from 3rd Marine Division loaded two HIMARS on to two U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II assigned to 353rd Special Operations Group, and soldiers from the U.S. Army's Multi Domain Task Force from 2nd Infantry Division loaded two HIMARS onto two U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152.

They were unloaded to rapidly conduct fire missions, then reloaded and relocated to further objectives. The method minimizes detection and counter fire missions after use.

"The capability that the artillery and the Marine Corps gains through HIRAIN is invaluable," said U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. David R. Morgan, a field artillery chief in Q Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. "It allows all areas of the Marine air-ground task force to assist in timely and accurate fires that will help defeat all future enemies. It is a chance for us to actively get involved with them, to learn from them, and a chance for us to grow as a unified force ready to respond to any crisis."

The exercise allows personnel to better understand how each operate accomplish the same mission.

"What we are demonstrating is the capability of the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army to come together with different aircrews and different HIMARS units, quickly build a plan, deploy on C-130s, travel great distances by air, land rapidly deliver long range precision fires against enemy targets, and depart their firing location prior to detection," U.S. Army Maj. Daniel Graw, division assistant fire support coordinator of the Marine Division.

More than 34,000 military personnel, mainly from the United States and Australia, are taking part in this year's activity.

The USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group is participating in Talisman Sabre 2019. The Reagan CSG, in addition to the aircraft carrier, includes the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell. Carrier Air Wing 5 is also part of the strike group.

Exercise activities in Shoalwater Bay Training Area and region began early this month, and peak during July 11-24.

Monitoring the activity is a surveillance warship from China, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Sunday. The same class of auxiliary general intelligence vessel was spotted monitoring the 2017 Talisman Sabre war games.