Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 was officially launched onboard the HMAS Adelaide in Sydney by senior commanders from the principal partners, Australia and US.
War games will be conducted across Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, Christmas Island and, in a first, Papua New Guinea.
Forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, PNG, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and United Kingdom will join Australia and the US; they will be watched by observers from Malaysia and Vietnam.
Six countries from Europe’s NATO military alliance, including Canada, are taking part as well as a UK-led aircraft carrier strike group.
Activities this year will consist of live-fire exercises and field training involving force preparation, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.
Australia will also unveil its new UH-60M Black Hawks and Precision Strike Missile during the games, the Australia Defence Force says.
‘SHOW OF STRENGTH’
ADF Chief of Joint Operations Vice-Admiral Justin Jones says the games are an “unrivalled opportunity” to train together across the sea, land, air, space and cyber domains.
“Exercise Talisman Sabre remains a powerful demonstration of Australia’s enduring commitment to strengthening relationships between trusted allies and partners, in support of a peaceful, stable and sovereign Indo-Pacific.”
US Army Pacific’s deputy commander Lieutenant-General Joel Vowell also called the games a powerful demonstration of strength as a combined joint force.
“Exercises like Talisman Sabre allow us to employ war winning capabilities, operate in critical locations, signal our multinational resolve, and galvanize our collective will,” he says.
“This is how we generate deterrence and work towards our ultimate goal: no war.”
TOP END DEFENCE ROLE
Northern Territory chief minister Lia Finocchiaro says the games again highlight the Top End’s strategic frontline.
She says up to 1500 troops from the Army’s 2nd Division will ‘protect’ Defence bases and infrastructure around Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal, Katherine.
Later in the year, she says she will lead a team to Japan and the US to attract more defence and economic investment in the NT.
