Exercise Triad gets underway

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 18, 2 October 1984, Page 3

Exercise Triad gets underway

Some 300 troops from America and Australia were due to arrive in New Zealand yesterday to join their New Zealand comrades-in-arms in the 'commandpost' Exercise Triad from 314 October. A total of 1 ,484 men will take part in the exercise — 1200 troops from New Zealand, 156 from Holdsworthy Camp in Australia and 128 American troops from the 25th Division in Hawaii. The main aims of the exercise areto practise allied ground force elements in defensive operations and to practise commanding control and communication procedures in an allied environment, both at divisional level. The exercise is known as a command post exercise

because it only involves deploying the formation of Headquarters without the normal ground troops — there will be no tanks, artillery etc in the field. The army uses the exercise to examine and practise command procedures and to check information flow. The information is directed out to the field from a strategy-monitoring room . equipped with 3D scale model terrain maps and equipment. The information is then processed by the Brigade Headquarters and the Divisional Headquarters (in the field) and decisions are made by these Headquarters and communicated back to the strategy room. The scale model equipment is then moved over the

terrain map on a time scale which is approximately equivalent to the real time it would take live troops in the field to carry out these manoeuvres. The New Zealand Brigade will be stationed at the Karioi Forest headquarters, the Australian Brigade headquarters will be at Paradise Valley (off the Desert Road) and the American Brigade headquarters will be at the ATG training area. The troops arrived in Waiouru yesterday and today for briefings and mini courses on battlefield procedures from 3-6 October. Next Sunday and Monday will be taken up with warmup exercises before the full scale Exercise Triad starts on Tuesday 9 October.