There are a variety of reasons Predator’s Run is taking place in Australia, rather than on Southeast Asia islands where battles could be fought, according to Ross Babbage, a former Australian assistant defense secretary.
“There are many operational elements and systems needing refinement to conduct complex littoral operations well,” he said by email Wednesday.
“It is best to sort those things and conduct much of the necessary training in safe and well understood areas possessing advanced instrumented ranges and other excellent facilities.”
It is also generally less expensive to train in Australia’s vast spaces, he added.