Australian soldier killed in NT military exercise

An Australian soldier has died in a training exercise at a military training area in the Northern Territory, the Department of Defence has confirmed.The soldier, yet to be named, was killed during the exercise at the Mount Bundey Training Area on Monday, in which five other soldiers were injured.Soldiers during a 2025 training exercise at the Mount Bundey training area in the Northern Territory.Next of kin have been notified, according to a statement from the Defence Department.Defence is expected to provide further details of the fatal training exercise at a later time.The incident comes five months after Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle was killed in a high-altitude parachuting descent at Jervis Bay Airfield, south of Sydney. Muddle was instructing a training course when he collided with another paratrooper midair, a few hundred feet above the ground.Defence Minister Richard Marles launched an investigation of the training incident after Muddle’s death, which sparked the pausing of all Australian Defence Force parachute operations.Muddle’s death followed a fatal training exercise at a Townsville military base in October last year, and the 2024 death of Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, son of former Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, who was killed in a parachute incident at RAAF Base Richmond in Sydney’s north-west.More to comeBe the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners