RFA Argus heads to Australia for major multinational exercise involving Royal Marines

RFA Argus, the hospital ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, is on her way from Singapore to Australia to join a large-scale exercise taking place in the Northern Territory.  

Exercise Predator's Run brings together personnel from several nations, and this year Royal Marines and Army Commandos from 40 Commando are taking part.

Planners and advance party elements have been in the Northern Territory for a few weeks, and the main body from 40 Commando arrived in Darwin last weekend.

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The annual warfighting exercise by run by the Australian Army's 1st Brigade, and this year's exercise includes the US Marine Corps.

Previous iterations of the exercise have involved personnel from the Australian Army, Philippine army, Malaysian army and USMC.

The idea behind the exercise is to put a multinational force under common command in order to test its response to a potential threat in the South Pacific region.

One past exercise, which ended in a live-fire and manoeuvre event, saw some forces not just working alongside the others, but integrated within them as well.