Biennial military exercise of Australia and the United States
A United States Marine (at left) and an Australian soldier working together during Exercise Talisman Saber 2013
Exercise Talisman Sabre (also spelled Talisman Saber, the US English alternative title) is a biennial, multinational military exercise led by Australia and the United States. Talisman Sabre involves joint exercises performed by the Australian Defence Force and the United States Military across six locations in northern and central Australia, the Coral Sea, and in Honolulu, Denver, and Suffolk, Va., though the bulk of the exercises are concentrated at the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area and other locations in northern and central Australia and Australia's territorial sea and exclusive economic zone.[1]
To reflect its bilateral nature, the leadership of the exercise switches between Australia and the US every 2 years.[2] The exercise focuses on crisis-action planning and contingency response, enhancing both nations' military capabilities to deal with regional contingencies and the War on Terrorism. The exercise is historically held in odd-numbered years starting from 2005, with the tenth iteration taking place in 2023.
Annual exercises
An Australian M1 Abrams tank during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015A US admiral describes participation in Talisman Sabre 2019Australian MRH-90 Taipan in July 2023 on exercises for Talisman Sabre '23
Talisman Sabre 2005 was the inaugural exercise in this series, conducted 12–27 June 2005, in Shoalwater Bay, Rockhampton, Townsville, and the Coral Sea, with 16,000 US and Australian troops. Planning for the exercises began in early 2003, and the exercise was meant to combine elements from previous exercises Tandem Thrust, Kingfisher, and Crocodile. During the exercise, U.S. Pacific Command and Australian Defence Force Joint Operations Command jointly executed more than 25 landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) trips and more than 1,300 Australian S-70A Blackhawk and MH-60S Knight Hawk landings and takeoffs.[3][4]
Talisman Sabre 2007 involved 26,000 US and Australian troops over 10 June – 25 July. The exercise primarily took place at Shoalwater Bay, the Townsville Field Training Area, and the Bradshaw Field Training Area in central Queensland and in the Northern Territory. The exercise also involved the use of civilian airports including Sydney and Brisbane, and RAAF Base Amberley. A focal point of the exercises was a joint amphibious landing that involved the launch of more than 2,500 personnel from six ships early on 20 June.[5][6][7]
Talisman Sabre 2009 was conducted 6–25 July 2009, with 10,000 Australian land and naval forces and 20,000 U.S. troops. The exercise was led by the United States and was conducted primarily at Shoalwater Bay and the Townsville Field Training Area. It involved various amphibious assault exercises and ship defense exercises.[1][8]
Talisman Sabre 2011 was conducted in July 2011 and was led by Australian forces.[9][10] It incorporated "combined Special Forces operations, parachute drops, amphibious (marine) landings, land force maneuvers, urban and air operations and the coordinated firing of live ammunition."[11]
Talisman Sabre 2015 was conducted over 20 days from early to mid-July 2015 and involved up to 30,000 US and Australian troops. It was the largest combined military exercise undertaken by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Defense forces from New Zealand (500 personnel) and Japan (40 personnel) joined the exercise for the first time this year.[15] The activities took place in the North Australian Range Complex (Bradshaw and Mount Bundy Training Areas and Delamere Air Weapons Range) and the East Australian Range Complex (Shoalwater Bay, Townsville and Cowley Beach Training Areas).[16] A large-scale amphibious landing was also conducted at Fog Bay in the Northern Territory.[17]
Talisman Sabre 2017 began in June 2017 and involved more than 33,000 Australian and US troops. Alongside the USSBonhomme Richard, 20 other ships and over 200 aircraft took part in what was the countries' largest exercise to date.[18] Personnel from New Zealand, Japan, and Canada were embedded within Australian and United States units.[19] Additionally, the Chinese Navy deployed a Type 815G Dongdiao-class electronic surveillance ship to monitor the exercise.[20]
Talisman Sabre 2019 began in July 2019, with more than 34,000 personnel participating from 18 countries, including Australia, United States, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. The Exercise was officially launched on 8 July 2019 on board USS Ronald Reagan. Once again, the Chinese Navy sent a Type 815G Dongdiao-class ship, the Tianwangxing (Uranus), to monitor the exercise, and there was speculation that China had a "keen interest" in how Japan's vessels interacted with and operated alongside the ADF and the US forces. The F-35B also made its debut in Australia during the exercise aboard USS Wasp. It was also the first time that both Canberra-class LHDs, HMASCanberra and HMASAdelaide, had operated together.[21][20][22][23][24]
Talisman Sabre 2021 was conducted starting from July 14th, to the 3st, 2021. The exercise was modified in scope and scale, with added health protection measures due to COVID-19 considerations. More than 17,000 personnel from Australia and the United States and forces from Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom, while the Australia-based personnel from India, Indonesia, France and Germany observed the exercise.[25] Additionally, MIM-104 Patriot Systems were tested in the exercise for the first time. For what was believed to be also the first time, the Chinese Navy deployed two Type 815 spy ships to observe the exercise: the Tianwangxing and her younger sister the Haiwangxing (Neptune).[26][27][28]
Talisman Sabre 2023, the 10th iteration of the exercise, began on 22 July 2023 and ran until 4 August 2023. More than 30,000 personnel from 13 nations took part, including from Fiji, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand also attended as observers.[29][30] Two Chinese Navy spy ships observed the exercise from coastal regions of the Northern Territory and Queensland.[31][32] In the leadup to the exercise a truck carrying an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank crashed on the Bruce Highway in Queensland. On the night of July 28-29 an ADF MHR-90 helicopter crashed into the ocean of the coast of the Whitsundays, with four ADF personnel onboard.
Opposition and protests
Protest during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2007
There have been regular protests against the exercises since 2007.
There was opposition to Talisman Sabre 2007 from peace activists and a number of environmental groups, with environmental concerns ranging from general contamination to the purported damaging effects of sonar on local marine life.[33] The Australian and American militaries have previously recognized the environmental concerns of operating in this area, with troops undergoing environmental impact briefings before arriving at the location in 2005, and an environmental training center to be constructed before the 2007 exercise.[34]
In 2013 a number of protesters ventured into the live-fire zone of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. More protestors pledged to disrupt the exercises in 2015.
Environmental concerns
There have been concerns that depleted uranium munitions, which have been linked to increased incidence of cancer[citation needed], posing significant health risks, have been used at the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Prior to the 2005 exercise, the Australian Department of Defence issued a press release which stated that depleted uranium "will not be used in TS05 by either Australian or US forces" and that this was "unequivocal".[35] This commitment was reiterated prior to Talisman Sabre 2009.[36]
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It has three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The ADF has a strength of just over 89,000 personnel and is supported by the Department of Defence alongside other civilian entities.
The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957 as a company, it was modelled on the British SAS with which it shares the motto, "Who Dares Wins". Expanded to a regiment in August 1964, it is based at Campbell Barracks, in Swanbourne, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, and is a direct command unit of the Special Operations Command.
The Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held in August. It is hosted and administered by the United States Navy's Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered at Pearl Harbor, in conjunction with the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the control of the Governor of Hawaii.
USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser built during the Cold War for the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1989, the warship was originally named USS Chancellorsville for the American Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville. In March 2023, she was renamed for Robert Smalls, a former slave who freed himself and others by commandeering a Confederate transport ship.
USS Momsen (DDG-92) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy. Momsen is the twenty-sixth destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class to be built by Bath Iron Works. She is named after Vice Admiral Charles B. "Swede" Momsen of Flushing, Queens, New York (1896–1967). Vice Admiral Momsen made many contributions to the navy such as the invention of the Momsen Lung when he was assigned to the Bureau of Construction and Repair. Momsen was also involved in the first successful rescue of a crew of a sunken submarine, USS Squalus, and subsequently supervised the salvage of the boat.
HMAS Swan, named for the Swan River, was a River-class destroyer escort of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Constructed in Melbourne following the loss of HMAS Voyager, Swan entered service in 1970.
HMAS Perth was the lead ship of the Perth-class guided missile destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in the United States to a modified version of the Charles F. Adams design, Perth entered service with the RAN in 1965.
Shoalwater Bay is a large bay on the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland, Australia 100 km north of the coastal town of Yeppoon and 628 km north-north-west of the state capital, Brisbane. Since 1966, the land surrounding Shoalwater Bay has been under the ownership of the Australian Defence Force, for the purpose of military training exercises. Shoalwater Bay is also a noted dugong habitat and is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The bay is bounded by the Torilla Peninsula to the west and the Warginburra Peninsula and Leicester and Townshend islands to the east.
Australia was a member of the international coalition which contributed military forces to the 1991 Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm. More than 1,800 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were deployed to the Persian Gulf from August 1990 to September 1991, while contingents from the Royal Australian Navy circulated through the region in support of the sanctions against Iraq until November 2001. In August 1990, two frigates HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Darwin and the replenishment ship HMAS Success left for the Persian Gulf. HMAS Success had no air defences, so the Army 16th Air Defence Regiment was embarked. On 3 December 1990, HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Sydney (IV) relieved HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Darwin. On 26 January 1991, HMAS Westralia replaced HMAS Success. A Navy clearance diving team was also deployed for explosive ordnance disposal and demolition tasks. Australian ships were in danger of sea mines and possible air attacks. In a number of recorded incidents, HMAS Brisbane encountered free floating mines, on one occasion narrowly avoiding a collision. Both HMA Ships Brisbane and Sydney encountered significant air threat warnings from Iran and Iraq throughout the initial period of the commencement of the Desert Storm Campaign. The detection of land based Silkworm anti-ship missiles from Iran throughout the campaign also added to the challenges for both crews as well as the multi-national Naval Forces.
Lieutenant General Brian Ashley "Ash" Power is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. Power served as Chief of Joint Operations from 2011 until his retirement in May 2014.
The 173rd Special Operations Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter training squadron that provides support to the Special Operations Command. The squadron is being equipped with UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment.
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14 (HSC-14) "Chargers" is an aviation unit of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station North Island, California (USA). HSC-14 was established as Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 14 (HS-14) in 1984 and was redesignated HSC-14 in 2013. The squadron is equipped with the Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk.
The 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command is an activated Air Defense Artillery command of the United States Army assigned to United States Army Pacific. It is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawai'i at the Pacific Air Force Headquarters.
The Bradshaw Field Training Area (BFTA) is a large army training area located 600 km (370 mi) south of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is used for training by the Australian Army, and as an Australia-U.S. combined training centre with the U.S. Marines stationed at Darwin.
Operation Nanook is an annual sovereignty operation and manoeuvre warfare exercise conducted by the Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic. Sovereignty patrols in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and northern Canada are conducted by the Canadian Rangers, Canadian Coast Guard in tandem with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The exercise portion is intended to train the different elements of the Canadian Armed Forces to operate in the Arctic environment.
Operation Pathways, formerly known as Pacific Pathways, is a program run by United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) and carried out by I Corps with the goal of expanding the Army's engagement in the Pacific region and reducing costs. It involves linking multiple military exercises together to create a "Pathway". The concept of the program was first created by General Vincent K. Brooks in 2014. Previous Pathways have included exercises in Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Palau, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States.
The Type 815, as well as its derivatives Type 815G and Type 815A, are Chinese electronic surveillance ships in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Type 815 spy ship has received NATO reporting name Dongdiao class, while its successors Type 815G & 815A have received NATO reporting name Dongdiao II class.
Exercise Kangaroo was a joint warfare exercise that was held by the Australian Defence Force in the 1970s and 1980s.
Armed forces play a crucial role when responding to crises and emergencies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, militaries were readily deployed in many countries to assist the civilian medical personnel and overwhelmed hospitals by creating additional hospitals and providing other additional resources. Apart from the management of the health crises, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the military operations. The security and defence related aspects including the missions, operations and training were adversely affected with the Covid-19. The broad spread of Covid can limit the defence forces' ability to carry out a mission. Many military training and exercises have been postponed or cancelled.
↑ Photographer's Mate 2nd Class (AW) D. Arthur Jones and Photographer's Mate 3rd Class James Bartels, USS Boxer Public Affairs (2 June 2005). "Boxer Completes Talisman Saber 2005". Navy.mil. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ "Locations". Exercise Talisman Sabre 2011: Public Environment Report. Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
↑ "Factsheet1/5"(PDF). Exercise Talisman Sabre 2011: Public Environment Report. Department of Defence. 2011. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
↑ Doran, Mark (30 July 2015). "Beach Assault". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper (1356ed.). Canberra: Department of Defence. ISSN0729-5685. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
↑ Friends of the Earth produced a submission to the Maunsell Public Environment Report, which has been published onlineArchived 20 March 2007 at archive.today by Melbourne Indymedia, 13 November 2006. This submission details the environmental and social impact the war games will have.
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