The largest contingent of Marines to head to Australian on a rotational deployment marked the end of their six month stay Down Under with a three-week training exercise in a remote area of the Outback.

Marine Rotational Force— Darwin trained with members of the Australian Defence Force for two weeks in August during Exercise Koolendong. The training took place at the expansive Bradshaw Field Training Area in northern Australia.

While both militaries deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, they operated independently of one another. Exercise Koolendong, held at a massive range in an unforgiving part of the continent, gave the troops a chance to practice live fire and close air support.

"There's still a lot to learn in conventional operations," said Maj. Nathan Fleischaker, the operations officer for MRF— Darwin.

About 1,250 Marines with MRF— Darwin participated in Koolendong alongside about 320 Australian troops from Aug. 10 through 26. The training events involved a mass casualty drill, improvised explosive training for combat engineers, helicopter and ground live-fire exercises, and a five-day continuous-fire, combined-arms event.

The joint operations Marines and Australians practiced during Koolendong weren't common in the recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, Fleischaker said, so the militaries are learning new ways to work together. The Australians provided artillery fire on the Marines' behalf, he said. They also provided tank and close-air support.

"That's pretty groundbreaking stuff, and that's the kind of stuff that's pushing the boundaries ... that will be built upon in future years," Fleischaker said.

Koolendong also marked the end of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines' six-month rotation to Australia. The Marines will now redeploy to their home base at Camp Pendleton, California.

The full battalion landing team was the third and largest unit to rotate through the country as the Defense Department puts a greater emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region. The Corps has not yet announced who will replace 1/5 in the spring.

Fleischaker said he expects future rotations, which will eventually reach 2,500 Marines — a full Marine air-ground task force, will conduct more Koolendong-sized exercises. Already, there are discussions about making the 2015 exercise larger, he said. Last year, the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit participated in the training.

This year, the Marines had the chance to work with the Australian army's new armed reconnaissance helicopter, the Tiger. The Aussies are still developing their doctrine for the aircraft, and the Marines helped test how they can best make use of their partner's capabilities, Fleischaker said.

Helicopters are useful in the remote training area that's seven hours away from the main base in Darwin.

Bradshaw is similar to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California, Fleischaker said, as it's largely flat and open with sweeping vistas. But it's tougher to get around at Bradshaw, he said, as there's no road system — just a few trails, making it rough to go in with vehicles.

That terrain also posed challenges for the Marines while getting around on foot, he said.

"It's very flat, very open, and you can see targets," he said. "One of the biggest challenges for us at Bradshaw was the vegetation. It's not jungle, but it's brush everywhere."

That makes maneuvering difficult and command and control very important, particularly in live fire exercises, he said.

"How do I know where my Marines are, and how do I make sure they're safe?" he said. "It's very challenging."¦

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