In April 23, 31 Gurkhas from The First Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles travelled to New Caledonia in the Pacific to take part in Exercise CROIX DU SUD.
This is an annual humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise, organised by the French Armed Forces in New Caledonia for nations from across the Pacific. This year 19 nations took part in the exercise. A platoon from B Company, The First Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR) deployed to Nandai Camp and embedded with Delta Company, 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment and were hosted by the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion.
During the first week, troops conducted a force integration package which included section-level training, convoy escort practice and vehicle checkpoint drills. As the Gurkha jungle battalion, 1 RGR delivered a day of jungle training including survival lessons, river crossing drills and demonstrated a platoon attack on a jungle base camp. Soldiers also had the opportunity to practice their close-quarter battle skills on a live range with Australian weapons. Outside of training, RGR personnel hosted Brigadier Valery Putz and the French Ambassador to Brunei and also took part in the ANZAC Day memorial service on the 25th April 2023.
1 RGR’s time in New Caledonia culminated in a humanitarian and disaster relief training exercise involving over 3,000 troops from 19 nations. The platoon helped their Australian counterparts retrieve an airborne supply drop and secured crucial routes and population centres across New Caledonia.
Rifleman Mohan, 6 Platoon, B Company, 1 RGR said, “During the exercise, I was attached to an Australian platoon to deliver reassurance patrols and vehicle checkpoint support and I got chance to interact with another nation’s army, learn their tactics and procedures while demonstrating to them our total professionalism. The highlight was participation in CROIX DU SUD Multi Nation competition, and we came away as winners. I also took part in a demo group of how to apply personal camouflage and patrolling skills in the jungle. None of the Australians or Legionnaires were able to spot us”.
