Elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), from Okinawa, Japan, were followed into Shoalwater Bay Training Area by a Marine Air Ground Task Force, including F/A-18 jets, as well as UH-1N, CH-46 and AH-1J helicopters. In the training area, the main Australian Defence Force (ADF) component came from the Brisbane-based 7th Task Force, which is an integrated Reserve/Regular formation. 7th Task Force incorporates the motorised infantry of the 6th, 9th and 25/49th Battalions, as well as 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, armoured vehicles of the 2/14 Light Horse and artillery of 1 Field Regiment.

A U.S. Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) brings U.S. Marines and their vehicles ashore during amphibious operations on Freshwater Beach at Shoalwater Bay.

Air Combat Exercises were conducted offshore from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Williamtown, with RAAF F-111 and F/A-18 aircraft working alongside U.S. Air Force F-15s from RAAF Amberley. U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18s carried out strike sorties with practise and high explosive weapons into the training area’s weapons ranges.

Due to operational commitments to East Timor, the ADF’s contribution to this inaugural CROCODILE exercise, which replaces the long running KANGAROO series of combined exercises, was significantly scaled back. In the finish, the U.S. Forces outnumbered Australia’s 4,000 to 2,500. The original combined commitment was to have been almost 22,000, made up of 15,000 Australians and 7,000 Americans.