2 February 2024
The civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) team from Headquarters 1st (Australian) Division learnt valuable lessons that could have real-world applications after Exercise Yama Sakura 85 (YS85).
The cooperation between the ADF, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and US Army personnel when addressing women, peace and security (WPS) considerations in military operational planning was a practical example of ‘trilateral interoperability’.
The ADF’s Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) Mandate articulates Defence’s commitment to implementing the WPS agenda, as set out in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The resolution urges the increased participation of women and the incorporation of gender perspectives throughout peace and security efforts.
Lieutenant Commander Manny McAuley is an information warfare officer and operational gender adviser posted to HQ 1 (Aust) Div, whose responsibilities on the exercise included the integration of GPS planning considerations.
He said significant opportunities were taken during the exercise to better understand how each country approaches GPS implementation in military operations.
“This was a shared norm between trilateral partners and was a key driver to helping build greater levels of interoperability and trust with our Japanese and US counterparts in this area,” Lieutenant Commander McAuley said.
“A highlight of YS85 for me was to discuss Japan's GPS implementation journey with ministry of defence representatives and to observe how our hosts approached issues surrounding the protection of civilians and vulnerable populations during non-combatant evacuation planning.”
Lieutenant Colonel Michael Thomas, who recently oversaw leadership of the CIMIC, said WPS initiatives were essential for the ADF.
“There is a lot of evidence that the more a society involves women in its decision-making and political affairs and is able to reduce any gender gap in decision-making, the safer and more peaceful that society is,” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas said.
“Many nations in the south-west Pacific are also paying a lot of attention to this issue, so our ability to engage with them and learn from each other on how we are implementing the UN resolution is a very positive thing.”
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas said the next step for the CIMIC unit was to evaluate the lessons learned from the exercise, and analyse how they could be applied in a future real-world scenario.
“The Women, Peace and Security advisers built in some really good gender work in Japan so there are things that I think we're going to take back and look at,” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas said.
“How we can use that to improve the way we're implementing the resolution is definitely part of the value of these sorts of exercises. They allow our partner countries and friends to come together and share their experiences, exercise and improve together.”
