The biennial exercise 'Pitch Black' comes at a time when defence forces on both sides of the Tasman are struggling to retain and recruit staff. (Source: 1News)
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An aircraft crash during a biennial international military exercise in Darwin — which New Zealand is taking part in — saw media evacuated and flights halted for a day.
The multinational exercise — Exercise Pitch Black — is one of the largest gatherings of defence air forces and is hosted by the Australian Defence Force. It runs for three weeks with 20 nations participating, making it the biggest in its 43-year history.
New Zealand's Air Force is among the approximately 4500 personnel from around the world collaborating and upskilling in air combat off the coast of Darwin.
Royal Australian Air Force Wing Commander Lauren Guest was informed of the crash during an interview with 1News. Media were asked to evacuate the Australian Air Force base shortly afterwards.
In a statement, the Australian Defence Force confirmed that an international participant in Exercise Pitch Black was "safe and well after ejecting from their aircraft during flying operations".
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1News understands the personnel belonged to the Italian Air Force contingent.
"Australian Defence Force personnel responded immediately and professionally at 10.45am to an aircraft emergency in the exercise area and coordinated the recovery of the pilot with a search and rescue helicopter," the statement read.
"The pilot arrived at the hospital by helicopter around 1.30pm (local time)."
After media were escorted off-site, flying for the remainder of the day was also cancelled.
What does NZDF get out of Exercise Pitch Black?
Sixty-five New Zealand Air Force personnel have been collaborating with some of the world's most formidable military teams, with increasing difficulty and complexity of exercises each week.
New Zealand Wing Commander Andy Armstrong said it was an opportunity for staff to put their training to the test on an international level, particularly when recruitment is a priority for the country's defence forces.
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New Zealand Wing Commander Andy Armstrong. (Source: 1News)
"In this exercise, we've brought with us eleven different trade specialisations, and there is an enormous variety of opportunities within the NZDF to secure a really good career," Armstrong said.
"It is deployments like this that really put that into perspective."
Armstrong's Australian counterpart Guest agreed, adding: "Australia, along with a lot of other nations right now, is having recruitment and retention issues.
"It's exercises like Pitch Black that put into perspective what a defence force career path can look like, and that is something we share with our neighbours across the ditch."
Australian Defence Force Wing Commander Lauren Guest (Source: 1News)
The military exercise also takes place amidst rising geopolitical tensions, particularly with the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and China's growing influence in the Pacific.
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Notably this year countries like Papua New Guinea and the Philippines have joined the war games, putting more focus on military cooperation between not just Five Eyes countries but those in the Pacific.
Guest said a particular focus of the exercise was to work with more countries under combat conditions. "The world is changing rapidly, and as a result, we all have a responsibility and a want to ensure that we are capable," she said.
Armstrong added: "All of the countries participating here share the same sorts of values. We're all interested in peace and security across the Indo-Pacific region."
Australian Correspondent Aziz Al Sa'afin checked out the action at Exercise Pitch Black in Darwin, Australia. (Source: 1News)
ADF and NZDF workforce shortages
Exercise Pitch Black came at a time when both Australia and New Zealand were grappling with significant workforce shortages in their defence forces, a trend observed worldwide.
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The NZDF reported severe challenges in retaining and recruiting staff.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon previously stated the workforce was around 1300 uniformed personnel and 130 civilians short of what's needed. However, retention rates improved this year, dropping from 15.5% in January to 10.6%.
The ADF also faced its own recruitment woes and consequently expanded its eligibility criteria to actively recruit New Zealanders who had lived in Australia for at least a year.
The workforce had been short nearly 5000 defence force staff year-on-year.
Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles hoped to reach 80,000 personnel by the end of the year, but the force currently sat at just under 60,000.
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