Two HIMARS launchers from the US Army’s 17th Field Artillery Brigade are in Western Australia for Exercise Highball, which will develop how the Australian Defence Force employs long-range land-based precision rocket and missile systems.
Western Australia hosted a joint United States-Australian exercise on 29 July to explore how the Australian Defence Force (ADF) can employ long-range fires capabilities for both land and maritime strike.
Exercise Highball is a combined Australian Joint Operations Command and US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) initiative that started on 27 July.
It used a range of air, land, space and maritime capabilities to send targeting data to a US Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) platoon to test long-range fires concepts.
Australian Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said the exercise demonstrated the ADF was responding to Defence Strategic Review direction to accelerate and expand the introduction of long-range land and maritime strike capabilities under Land 8113 Phases 2-4, particularly the HIMARS acquisition.
“The need to integrate land-based long-range fires into the ADF’s operational capability is urgent, and the close and dynamic relationship we enjoy with INDOPACOM means we can adhere to Government direction,” Lieutenant General Bilton said.
“By using a US Army HIMARS strike package and US military shipping already in Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023, we can accelerate our understanding of projecting and employing HIMARS. Exercise Highball will also enhance US interoperability with the ADF’s targeting capabilities and the operational employment of land-based precision multi-domain fires.”
The exercise was conducted from Lancelin (north of Perth) and into the Western Australia Exercise Area (situated in the Indian Ocean to the west and southwest of Perth).
The US HIMARS Expeditionary Strike Package included HIMARS launchers and support vehicles.