Description The United States, Australia and Canada joined forces March 15, testing contingency operations in the Pacific during Tandem Thrust '99. Tandem Thrust involved more than 2,000 people and was a combined U.S., Australian and Canadian training exercise conducted on Guam and in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The exercise ended April 4. Sponsored by U.S. Pacific Command, Tandem Thrust trained U.S. and Australian defense force staffs on how to plan for and execute contingency operations in the Pacific. To do this, about 10,000 U.S. Navy, Marines, Air Force and Army personnel assigned to the Pacific Command as well as about 1,000 Australian Navy and Air Force members conducted a command post exercise and field training exercise on Guam and the Mariana Islands. In addition, about 800 Canadian naval and air forces are participating as maritime opposition forces. Two B-52 Stratofortress bombers and 103 reservists deployed Mar. 21-22 to Guam to participate in Tandem Thrust '99. The Air Force Reserve people are from maintenance and support organizations of the 917th Wing's 93rd Bomb Squadron. The exercise was designed to bring the United States and Australia together as a combined task force. It involved combined military operations at sea, in the air and on land, and will train participants in crisis action planning and execution for contingency response operations.
