Army exercise on Coast

Press, 10 November 1983, Page 2

Army exercise on Coast

A command control exercise including the New Zealand Army will begin on the West Coast on Saturday. More than 400 soldiers will take part in Exercise Lothlorien, which will range over country from Jacksons in the south through Ko-, para, Haupiri, Ahaura River, and Mawheraiti, south of Reefton. Fifty vehicles and six armoured personnel carriers will be in the exercise. The soldiers will include sections of 2/1 Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, 1 Squadron New Zealand Scottish, a patrol of the S.A.S., and engineers of 3 field Squadron.

The exercise is designed to practise deployment of a rifle company and* to practise the skills of coun-ter-insurgency in preparation for the big counterinsurgency exercise to be held in the North Island next year. Most movement during the exercise will take place at night and will include river crossings and the establishment of a battalion base in a township. An area of about 160 kilometres will be covered during the exercise, according to the commanding officer of 2/1 Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel M. F. Dodson. Most of the ground

will be covered using vehicles running on existing roads. The armoured personnel carriers will remain in Greymouth after the exercise to train with the 2nd Battalion (Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West coast), RJNJEUR. Colonel Dodson said th exercise was a rare opportunity to exercise various units together, including a mortar platoon and reconnaissance and anti-tank platoons. It was the only chance they had to work in support of the battalion, he said.

The exercise will end on November 26.