Just outside of Kota Belud in Sabah, Malaysia, three nations gather under the banner of Exercise Keris Strike 2024.
Sitting on the local airfield, in a constant search for shade, personnel from the Australian, United States and Malaysian Armies await the beginning of a one-week field training exercise.
In the distance, a low rumble echoes against the backdrop of the Malaysian countryside. Within seconds, the sound of their blades slicing through the air grows as two Black Hawks and two Chinooks, from the US Army Reserve, come into view.
As they approach, Australian Army soldier Bombardier Louis Marcic guides them in while simultaneously preparing troops for their departure to the operating area of the exercise.
As a joint fires observer from the 103rd Battery, 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery in Darwin, Bombardier Marcic was selected as one of two pick-up zone (PZ) controllers for the exercise.
Working alongside Captain Jake Cohen from the US Army, Bombardier Marcic coordinated the lift of more than 400 ground elements of the combined forces.
“A PZ controller is the direct link between the aircraft and the ground-based elements,” Bombardier Marcic said.
“They coordinate the safety and suitability of the pick-up zone, the marking and cordoning of the area, the communications with the aircraft and the movement of the ground troops from the staging area to the aircraft.”
The job, however, came as a bit of a surprise to him. Three days before, Bombardier Marcic was pulled into the operations and planning room with senior officers from all three nations to be told he would oversee four American aircraft for several days.
Bombardier Marcic felt everyone benefited from the joint experience through sharing knowledge and expertise.
“I found working with both Malaysians and Americans an amazing experience,” he said.
“The American aircraft crews from the 7-158th General Support Aviation Battalion have a wealth of knowledge and experience that was passed onto the Malaysians and Australians when in-filling and ex-filling aircraft.
“The Malaysian soldiers and officers from the 7th Royal Malaysian Regiment were always the first ones into the fight and the last ones out; their ability to manoeuvre within the natural terrain gave them the upper hand in every engagement.
“What was expected to take five hours to achieve was completed in three thanks to our shared ability to communicate with the aircraft and simultaneously load all four aircraft at once.”
