I was recently commissioned by The Wall Street Journal to photograph U.S. Marines, Australian Defence Force personnel, and Japanese troops during the live-fire Southern Jackaroo exercise at Australia’s largest military base in Townsville. 

This annual trilateral training, now in its largest iteration, brought together over 3,000 personnel—including more than 500 U.S. Marines and 300 Japanese soldiers—for a rigorous four-week deployment across North Queensland’s expansive training areas.The exercise included force-on-force maneuvers and synchronized live-fire missions involving artillery, mortars, and mechanized infantry. 

As you know, a commission operates at a fast pace, very different from the slow, contemplative rhythm of my long-term projects. Being there was certainly an experience, but having made those images under the dust, noise, and weight of machinery, I find myself still thinking through what I saw and felt in light of the current state of the world.

Thank you to The Wall Street Journal team for commissioning me.

Words by Mike Cherney. Full article can be found here