Logisticians deliver and defend

Deliver and defend. Those twin requirements reinforce the Land Tactical Vehicle Training Continuum (LTVTC), conducted by the Army School of Transport at Puckapunyal Military Area from September 16 to 17 to prepare logistics soldiers for operating in contested environments.

The LTVTC is Army’s mounted training framework, designed to develop soldiers’ ability to move, shoot, communicate and navigate simultaneously while operating from vehicles.

Using platforms including the Hawkei, Bushmaster, HX77, 40M and HX81 with heavy equipment transporter trailers, soldiers conducted convoy operations, mounted tactics, communications training and live-fire serials in realistic, threat-based scenarios.

SGT Xavier Brown, an instructor at the Army School of Transport, said the training reflected a significant shift in how Army prepares transport soldiers for operations.

Having served in the Royal Australian Transport Corps for more than 16 years, SGT Brown said the continuum provides a structured pathway for soldiers to develop mounted skills, improving both their survivability and effectiveness.

“This training is important because it will give our logistics elements more power to repel an enemy attack and continue the mission,” SGT Brown said.

“We’ve been trained for years that logistics vehicles are soft-skin targets. The intent moving forward is that we're no longer an easy target and can defend ourselves while getting supplies forward.”

Fellow instructor CPL Carlee Portlock said the activity builds soldiers’ confidence through a progressive training model that introduces complex tactical scenarios.

She said the continuum is helping produce adaptable logisticians who can combine transport skills with force protection responsibilities while operating in contested environments.

“It’s really important for us to be able to protect ourselves and, as we move through this training continuum, it’s an excellent way for us to learn and adapt in logistics and protect ourselves in the future battlespace,” CPL Portlock said.

“We’re putting those building blocks in place and watching people come through whose skills may not yet be up to standard. By the time they walk out of here, they’re confident they can play their role and protect themselves.”

CO Army School of Transport LTCOL Andrew Laing said the LTVTC professionalises mounted training for logisticians and establishes a clear pathway from driver training through to convoy command.

He said the continuum is improving Army’s ability to generate self-sufficient logistics elements capable of continuing their mission without relying on forward elements for routine protection.

“One of the key components of the Land Tactical Vehicle Training Continuum is enabling us to fight our way out of contact,” LTCOL Laing said.

“We’re not conducting offensive operations, we're ensuring we can continue getting supplies to the troops who need them.

“The training being conducted as part of the Land Tactical Vehicle Training Continuum is the highest level of training I've seen for logistics soldiers and officers at this point in my career.”

The activity demonstrated Army’s Land Domain Training System in action, developing combat-ready soldiers and teams through realistic, demanding, integrated and threat-informed training that prepares soldiers to sustain operations while protecting themselves and their teams.

See more images from the LTVTC.