The front lines of the conflict in Ukraine are a far cry from Australian shores, but the tactics observed in the fighting in Europe are shaping the way Australian troops are preparing for war.  

In Australia's largest garrison city, Townsville, more than 1,500 troops from the army's 3rd Brigade are training in an exercise aimed at integrating old and new lessons.

As part of a simulated war taking place in 20,000 hectares of dense bushland, engineers have constructed large networks of underground trenches for the troops to find, capture and defend.

The trench network was built with assistance from soldiers visiting from Papua New Guinea.

Return to trench warfare

Australian soldiers have not fought in trenches since the Korean War 70 years ago, and training in trenches was not necessary for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Military strategist and retired Australian Army major general Mick Ryan said fighting in Europe had included protracted ground struggles between Russian invading forces and the defending Ukrainians, with soldiers undertaking trench warfare in bitterly cold conditions.

Mr Ryan said detection-to-destruction time on the battlefield was much shorter due to more advanced technology.

The 3rd Brigade has adapted by using small mobile field headquarters that could be relocated at a moment's notice.

"What we are learning from Ukraine on the battlefield is if you are very static and transmitting, you are very quickly targetable," 3rd Brigade Commander Brigadier David McCammon said.

"We look at everything that's going on in the world and we always look to make sure we're watching trends."

Lessons from the front lines

With the Iraq and Afghanistan wars having ended, ADF personnel have in recent years been deployed for domestic natural disaster assistance.

Nearly 20,000 ADF members were deployed from 2020 as part of Operation COVID-19 Assist, which included manning border posts and transferring people to quarantine hotels from airports.

"The kind of tough and demanding training we're seeing at the 3rd Brigade at the moment is exactly what's needed after several years carrying bags in the COVID period," Mr Ryan said.

"They need to get back to their high readiness."

Mr Ryan said engaging in close ground combat was still inevitable in any future conflict, and it would be dangerous to reduce Army training and equipment to counter huge Defence maritime spending under the $368 billion AUKUS deal.

"It's very relevant, and Australian soldiers, as they have for the last 122 years, will be recalled to fight in the future.

"We have to make sure they're well equipped and well trained for that."

Winning wars on the land

Brigadier McCammon said observations from Ukraine had reinforced the relevance of traditional tactics practised by soldiers for well over a century.

"We're also seeing things that we always knew were important — armoured vehicles, mass in-combat power," he said.

"That's where decisive action occurs, that's where people live, it's where wars are won ultimately."

Army training will continue to ramp up ahead of Exercise Talisman Sabre — a biennial war-fighting exercise involving Australian and United States forces, as well as troops from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea and Japan — that will occur in the middle of the year.

Indian troops will also participate in the exercise for the first time this year.