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Landsysteme, Rheinmetall Defence Nederland BV, and Krauss-Maffei plexity of tasks, and tests our ability to conduct
Wegmann (KMW) – in November 2019. The Boxer programme will activities in different regions around the world,”
deliver more than 600 vehicles to the British Army, with production he said. AAF’s Commander Landing Forces,
subcontracted equally between RBSL, which is a UK-based joint ven- Colonel Doug Pashley, said it was energising
ture between Rheinmetall and BAE Systems, and Stockport- based to deploy the Boxer capability abroad. “These
WFEL, which is a subsidiary of KMW. Australian Defence Forces’s are the world’s best platforms, and our people
Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles made their international are fortunate to have the unique opportunity to
debut when it took part in urban warfare training in Singapore. Two work with the Boxers in Singapore to give them
Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles were among the equip- another perspective and broader hands-on
ment embarked with the Australian amphibious force (AAF) in HMAS training,” Colonel Pashley said.
Adelaide during Indo-Pacific Endeavour.

Australian Army soldiers put the combat vehicles to work during The Army of 2030
several days of training at Singapore’s Murai Urban training facil- To remain the dominant land force on battle-
ity. Troop leader Captain Stefano Rankin said training at the Murai fields of 2030, the U.S. Army is changing the
facility provided soldiers opportunities to work in unfamiliar terrain way it organises, equips and fights. After two
and build on the complexity of training exercises. “The purpose of the decades of focusing on brigades rotating in
training we’re conducting here in Singapore is to test the integration and out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S Army
of armour – being Boxer – and infantry with the joint pre-landing is shifting its organisational focus to larger for-
force and the ground combat element, and exercise our ability mations that are more capable of working with
to conduct urban operations,” Captain Rankin said. “It’s the first our sister services, allies and partners around
time the vehicles have been deployed overseas and it showcases the globe. The U.S. Army will start fielding
our capacity to deploy for contingency reasons within our region.” Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPV) in
The ADF acquired the Boxer in 2019 and the vehicles reached initial 2023. The Army recently awarded a contract
operational capability on schedule in mid-October last year. Their to field Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF), which
deployment to Singapore is a significant first, and Captain Rankin will provide infantry units with armoured fire-
said using the leading-edge training facility helped the troops gain power. “We are experimenting with Robotic
even more hands-on experience with the Boxer. Combat Vehicle technology, with the goal of
delivering initial capability by 2030,” according
“It enables us to conduct a wide variety and an increased com- to a U.S. Army official.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY APRIL-MAY 2023 | 13