WELLINGTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,000 military personnel from nine countries have gathered at the top of New Zealand's South Island for a month-long military exercise beginning this week, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said Tuesday.
Exercise Southern Katipo 15 (SK15), which was hosted by the NZDF, also involved military personnel from Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.
It aimed to test and evaluate the NZDF's ability to plan and conduct joint operations involving a range of naval, land, and air assets, Major General Tim Gall, Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said in a statement.
"Unlike previous iterations of this exercise, we are treating SK15 as one of several operations that we manage and supervise," said Gall.
"This approach is more realistic because if an emergency arose in the Southwest Pacific now, that will be exactly how things will play out."
The exercise scenario would see New Zealand deploying a military contingent to lead a multinational combined joint task force that would help restore law and order in a fictional South Pacific country called Becara.
The multinational task force would conduct stability, support and humanitarian operations, including the evacuation of internally displaced people.
"In SK15, we will be dealing with challenges that commanders have to grapple with in real-world operations such as exercising command and control over units that are operating in remote areas," said Gall.
"Our personnel are well-trained and ready to respond to any crisis at home or overseas. And through exercises like SK15, we get the chance to further enhance our ability to operate effectively alongside other militaries."
The Southern Katipo exercises are held in New Zealand every two years.
