Hundreds of soldiers and their vehicles descending on Bathurst, here's why

It's for some intense training in air-based protection operations, called Exercise Arras Sprint, which will take place at the Bathurst Airport.

The training will be undertaken by soldiers from the Australian Army's 5^th Brigade, enhancing their abilities to respond and protect vital infrastructure - like an air base - if one ever became threatened.

But the training won't be restricted to the airport, with commander of the 5^th Brigade, Brigadier Tom Nairn, telling the Western Advocate that the community can expect to see the soldiers around town.

"We're going to have somewhere in the vicinity of 350 soldiers on the ground in and around Bathurst, together with all of the vehicles and logistic support that go with a deployment of that size," he said.

"Not only will people see us, but our teams will be looking to engage with community members, both in a general sense and also as part of their operational task.

"We welcome engagement from the community as well, they needn't keep away. We're here to be with the community, not separate from the community."

Brig Nairn said Bathurst was selected as the destination for the training exercise for multiple reasons.

In addition to having soldiers based in the region, the city is also a great location for them to simulate protecting critical infrastructure - like an air base - in a rural and regional area, which comes with challenges like distance between logistic support and the troops.

So the 5^th Brigade will be undertaking a range of military tasks including patrolling, reconnaissance, surveillance, convoy escort, defence of the airfield, vehicle checkpoints, and more.

And in a real-life situation where critical infrastructure becomes threatened, engaging and communicating with the community is vital, so the training exercise will be no different.

"People will see a lot of us," Brig Nairn said.

"The reality of our task is, wherever we're working in Australia, we're going to be working in and with local communities.

"So Bathurst, in terms of this rehearsal exercise, will be no different."