Queensland, Australia.(July 24, 2023): In this photo by Corporal Brayden Daniel, Marine 1st Lieutenant Joshua Watson, executive officer with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment watches as an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft lands during Exercise Southern Jackaroo 23. Southern Jackaroo is a trilateral exercise involving the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, observers from South Korea, and the Australian Defense Force.

Each year, hundreds of Australian soldiers, troops from the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, and U.S. Marines conduct major warfighting exercises at Queensland’s Shoal Water Bay training area. The goal is to share tactics, techniques, and procedures while also improving interoperability among their military capabilities. This year’s event featured shooters cycling through training lanes consisting of small arms close combat, patrolling, and infantry live fire and tank integration involving the three distinct forces.

Unique to Southern Jackaroo 23 was the addition of a long-range casualty evacuation from Shoal Water Bay to Darwin using a care team aboard an MV-22 Osprey to transport and treat a simulated casualty. The Osprey flew from the Queensland training area back to RAAF Base Darwin using aerial refueling and staffed by a critical care team from MRF-D’s Role II facility.

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical and short runway takeoff and landing capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.

The Australian Defense force has a strength of just over 90,000 troops and is considered the most technologically advanced force in Oceana.