Governor-General Sam Mostyn (centre-right) and officials from participating nations at the launch of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 in Sydney on 13 July. Photo: ADF.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 has kicked off in Queensland and across Australia’s north after a ceremonial opening in Sydney.
The exercise is the 11th biennial exercise in the series, and is the largest peacetime exercise to ever be held in Australia.
It involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 nations participating in scenarios from northwest Western Australia, the Northern Territory, in Papua New Guinea, and right down Australia’s east coast through Queensland to Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast.
The exercise was opened on the flight deck of HMAS Adelaide in Sydney on Sunday 13 July by Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones and United States Deputy Commanding General of US Army Pacific Lieutenant General Joel B. Vowell, in the company of Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and senior officials from participating nations.
Apart from members of all three of Australia’s forces, the exercise includes participants from the US, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK. In addition, Malaysia and Vietnam have sent observers to the exercise.
For Australia, the exercise will see the debut of several new capabilities, including the Australian Army’s new High Mobility Multiple launch Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) which can fire the new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, NASAMS short-range air defence system, and the Insitu Integrator tactical uncrewed aerial system (TUAS).
The exercise will consist of live-fire exercises and field training activities primarily around Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton, incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.
Air combat and maritime operations will be conducted over a much wider area, including a live-missile firing at Jervis Bay.
The Multi-National Role 2 Echo deployable field hospital led by the Australian Army’s 2nd Health Brigade has also been set up at Shoalwater Bay where participants will practise the triage and treatment of casualties.
Task Element Dragon from the Army’s 20th Regiment Royal Australian Artillery will use their new Integrator TUAS to train to work with HIMARS batteries to observe the fall of shot of rocket artillery and to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and target acquisition.
The UK’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, plus ships from the US, several European nations, new Zealand, and Australia will also participate.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the scale of the exercise recognised the fact that Australia was a partner of choice in terms of exercises for countries around the world.
“What you are seeing and what you are witnessing is the most important event that we do every two years to rehearse the activities of the Australian Defence Force, but also, in many respects, to certify a whole lot of skills and capabilities within the Australian Defence Force,” he said.
“So, in that sense, it is critical in terms of the ADF’s operations to maintain our currency and our abilities and our capabilities.”
Vice Admiral Justin Jones said the exercise provided 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,” he said.
“Defence appreciates the support of the community for our essential training. Throughout planning to execution we have been conducting site surveys and meetings with state authorities, traditional owners and key stakeholders to inform a safe and productive exercise for all participating nations.”
Lieutenant General Vowell said Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 was a powerful demonstration of our combined strength, trust, interoperability, and readiness across the Indo-Pacific.
“As part of the Combined Joint Force, we train diligently and realistically to integrate capabilities across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains, operating alongside our allies and partners from 19 nations,” he said.
“Exercises like Talisman Sabre allow us to employ war winning capabilities, operate in critical locations, signal our multinational resolve, and galvanise our collective will. This is how we generate deterrence and work towards our ultimate goal: no war.
“Together, we are building tactical trust, practising our operational manoeuvres, and reaffirming our strategic commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Previous Talisman Sabre exercises have been monitored closely by Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army Navy vessels, although there has been no indication of any such monitoring yet.
