Photo By Lance Cpl. Donovan Melendez | Representatives from the America, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand Armies...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – Approximately 63 military members from five different countries participated in the ABCANZ Armies Program at the Marine Corps University on base from Sept.15 to 26.
The ABCANZ Program, established in 1947, brings together five countries—the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—to generate and sustain interoperability and cooperation among the nations. The Marine Corps’ participation in the program was officially recognized in 2004.
“If you have a mapped-out process for your command, control, and your operational execution, it really doesn’t matter what weird thing hits you,” said Morgan McGary, an information exchange expert with the command portion of ABCANZ. “You have a process to plug into [things] right away and execute immediately.”
Military experts from all five ABCANZ nations, including the U.S. Marine Corps, mustered for the Integrated Project Session held at the MCU, driven by a mission: allies should never have to figure out how to fight together while already engaged with the enemy.
“We’ve learned lessons from the bitter past that developed interoperability while we’re in conflict,” said New Zealand Army Col. Jason Healey, chief of staff of the Edkins Army’s Program. “It is expensive in terms of our armies, our lives and the resources, so we take the opportunity in peacetime to come together and develop those standards that allow us to go step off and fight better.”
The IPS unites eight specialized project teams, each addressing a vital element of today’s battlefield. Experts collaborate in various topics, including long-range precision fires, counter-unmanned aerial systems, robotics and autonomous systems, and electronic protections. This hands-on learning is a vital part of the program that could not be replicated virtually.
Canadian Royal Capt. Beaulieu-Labonte, a senior instructor for counter-UAS at the Royal Canadian Artillery School, explained from his perspective the importance of interoperability among the other nations.
“It helps us understand what we each need and that leads directly into... where we’re looking to enable the ground maneuver at all levels,” said Labonte. “It’s not going to be the billion-dollar system in the rear that’s going to defeat the threat—it’s going to be whatever we can enable at the front line.”
As part of the Naval University System, the MCU’s mission is to educate U.S. Marines and constituents how to win in combat. Classes cover leadership skills, warfighting, and international security.
ABCANZ works to exchange the use of information as fluently as possible. MCB Quantico supports this mission by ensuring the alignment of information students receive is consistent at the MCU and providing students with the ability to make connections and build relationships among their peers, including those across the globe.
In a time of complex global challenges, ABCANZ allies are reimagining how they prepare for unexpected situations. The importance of having a well-defined operational process alters the
adaptation abilities to improve results. The operational process involves pre-planning, flexibility, and learning from past experiences.
“As allies and partners, we come together and develop interoperability standards that make us able to fight better as a group,” said Healey. “We develop these standards while we’re in peacetime before we have to face our adversaries.”
Quantico is beyond just a military installation, it is the Crossroads of the Marine Corps, a place for ABCANZ allies to collaborate and exchange knowledge to enhance and achieve warfighting capabilities.
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2025 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 549524 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Crossroads for Nations: MCU hosts ABCANZ program to enhance interoperability with US allies, by LCpl Harleigh Faulk, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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