Both Port Moresby and Lae cities will play host the annual joint military exercise ‘Tamiok Strike’ which will be conducted from Monday 15th of July to Monday 26th of August, to enhance combined interoperability between military organizations and stakeholders.
Tamiok Strike is a land-oriented exercise between the United States (US) Army and the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) through support from the United States Pacific Partnership Program through the United State Pacific Army Command (USARPAC).
The exercise will involve mainly elements from the PNGDF Force Support and Engineer Battalions, Department of Defence, USARPAC 8th Theatre Sustainment Command (8TSC), Institute for Security Governance (ISG) and the Australian Defence Force Corporation Program.
External stakeholders who will participate in this exercise include the United Nations Development Program, The National Disaster Centre and the PNG Red Cross Society.
Sixty personnel from the PNGDF and 60 personnel from the US Army will take part in this exercise.
The exercise comprises of four separate activities which would be conducted concurrently. The Engineer training will be conducted in Igam Barracks in Lae city over seven weeks while the logistics training, logistics staff exercise and military police will be conducted in Murray Barracks in Port Moresby city over two weeks.
The Engineer activity will focus on the construction of 1x bunkhouse utilizing PNGDF Equipment and Operators. The bunkhouse will assist the Unit in accommodating military personnel in transit through Igam Barracks. The logistics training will cover Ammunition Safety Supervisor training, Loads and Lashing Training and Basic Military First Aid.
The intent of this exercise is to enhance combined interoperability capabilities through training, skills sharing and cultural exchanges.
This Bilateral exercise is in line with PNGDF’s Five Lines of effort specifically Line of Effort 3 on Operational Proficiency, which emphasizes the importance of Operational Excellence across all domains, supported by effective and efficient logistics and other enablers.
This will be the third year for exercise Tamiok Strike to be held in PNG. It was first held in August 2021.