Darwin’s 5th Battalion land in Australia after competing Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2024

Returning from Asia, soldiers from Darwin’s 5th Battalion could be seen with rice hats, soft toys and cheap tobacco in hand. See what they got up to abroad.

5th Battalion troops making their way across the tarmac at RAAF Base Darwin. Picture: Harry Brill.

The pubs and clubs of Darwin will be slightly busier this week after more than 100 Diggers and US Marines returned from a five week training stint in Indonesia on Sunday.

Making their way through customs at RAAF Base Darwin, troops could be seen with a variety of souvenirs in hand, including soft toys, rice hats and cartons of cheap tobacco.

However, contrary to their clean cams and colourful carriage, delta company’s trip to Indonesia was far from luxurious, with the sub-unit’s resilience tested across two major training activities – Exercise Super Garuda Shield and Exercise Wirra Jaya.

A spiderman soft toy, yellow crocs and the trusty M4 Carbine. Picture: Harry Brill.

Whether they were trudging through the dense jungle or storming a beach, contingent commander Major Nathan Lee said his troops gained invaluable experience during their short time abroad.

“Both activities were clearly focused on integrating and working with our international partners from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and, most importantly, the Indonesian Armed Forces,” he said.

“The purpose of both activities was to show that we can work together, communicate and provide manoeuvre (warfare capability).”

Major Lee says his troops achieved “a lot” during their Indonesian trip. Picture: Harry Brill.

Beyond the tactics, Major Lee said his troops made a point of immersing themselves in Indonesian culture and language.

“I think we achieved a lot in terms of establishing relationships and friendships and showing that we can work together,” he said.

“So into the future with (Australia and Indonesia’s) new Defence agreement, I think we can look to go bigger and better and work on a larger scale of operation.”

Exercise Super Garuda Shield delivered a significant amount firepower for commanders to play with, including air mobile assets, an Indonesian infantry battalion and artillery callsigns.

The troops arriving in Darwin after a big few weeks in Indonesia. Picture: Harry Brill.

Assets and manpower aside, however, for Darwin’s 5th Battalion commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Grogan, it was critical for soldiers to familiarise themselves with their regional counterparts on a human level.

“It’s important for us not to be meeting each other for the first time in any operation that we might be conducting together,” he said.

“The idea of this so that once wherever we need to conduct an operation, although we may not know the person standing directly across us, we understand how we operate and what we need to go do to get things done.”

ADF and MRF-D troops return to Darwin, Northern Territory, after more than a month of training overseas with their Indonesian counterparts. 22 September 2024.

With 5RAR set to complete another huge training year, Lieutenant Colonel Grogan said his delta company troops would take some well deserved rest.

“It’s been a busy couple of years for the 5th Battalion, both at home and offshore,” he said.

“(We) now look for a period of rest going into the remainder of the year and have some time with loved ones.”