Hickam Rising… The 15th Wing Soars during Talisman Sabre
Report by Daniel Vorbach
Images: Daniel Vorbach & ADF
July 24, 2025
The United States Air Force’s 15th Wing, based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, plays a pivotal role in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States. As the exercise unfolds across Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia from July 13 to August 4, 2025, the 15th Wing’s participation underscores the critical importance of Hawaiian-based forces in Indo-Pacific security operations.
Strategic Positioning and Mission
Talisman Sabre 2025 is the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australia, involving more than 35,000 military personnel from Australia and partnering nations. The 15th Wing’s geographic position at Hickam Air Force Base makes it uniquely suited to support operations across the vast Pacific theater, providing essential air mobility, logistics, and operational capabilities that bridge the continental United States with the exercise areas in Australia.
The wing’s participation reflects its broader mission as a key component of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), contributing to what exercise planners describe as efforts to advance “a free and open Indo-Pacific” while fortifying “relationships and interoperability among key allies and partners”.
Historical Context and Growing Importance
The 15th Wing brings a rich military heritage to Talisman Sabre 2025, with roots tracing back to just before World War II when it was organized as the 15th Pursuit Group at Wheeler Field, Hawaii. Having evolved from its origins defending the Hawaiian islands after Pearl Harbor, the wing now serves as a critical enabler for multinational operations across the Pacific.
Strategic Implications
The 15th Wing’s participation in Talisman Sabre 2025 reflects broader strategic shifts in the Pacific theater. The exercise has evolved from its 
origins as a bilateral US-Australia exercise to now include forces from across the Indo-Pacific region. The current iteration “brings together more than 35,000 military personnel from the militaries of 19 nations including that of host Australia, the US, the United Kingdom” and other key partners.
This multinational scope aligns with the 15th Wing’s role as part of the broader Pacific Air Forces structure, where units must be capable of operating seamlessly with diverse international partners. The wing’s location at the crossroads of the Pacific positions it as a natural hub for such cooperative efforts.
Building on Previous Bilateral Training
The 15th Wing’s participation in Talisman Sabre 2025 builds upon a foundation of regular bilateral training exercises with Australian forces, including Exercise Global Dexterity conducted earlier in 2025. Global Dexterity, which focuses on enhancing interoperability between U.S. and Royal Australian Air Force units, provided valuable preparation for the larger-scale operations now taking place during Talisman Sabre.
These sequential exercises demonstrate the systematic approach to building partnership capacity, with smaller-scale bilateral training events like Global Dexterity serving as stepping stones to the complex multinational scenarios of Talisman Sabre. The 15th Wing’s involvement in both exercises reflects the unit’s central role in maintaining continuous engagement with Pacific partners throughout the year, not just during major exercises.
Complex Logistics Operations
The scale and complexity of the 15th Wing’s operations during Talisman Sabre 2025 are exemplified by recent airborne operations. Captain Ben Basham reported that six aircraft departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and, while en route, utilized 10 aerial refueling tankers to offload approximately 750,000 gallons of fuel to successfully deliver 335 jumpers to the Lakeview Drop Zone, west of Townsville. This operation demonstrates the extraordinary logistical coordination required for Pacific theater operations and the 15th Wing’s capability to support large-scale airborne insertions across vast distances.
Training and Readiness Benefits
For the 15th Wing, participation in Talisman Sabre 2025 provides invaluable training opportunities that directly enhance readiness for potential real-world operations. The exercise’s complexity, involving “multiple regions in Australia and Papua New Guinea”, challenges aircrews and support personnel to operate in unfamiliar environments while maintaining the high operational standards expected in the Pacific theater.
The three-week duration of the exercise allows for comprehensive training scenarios that test everything from basic interoperability to complex, multi-national operations. These experiences are particularly valuable for Hawaii-based units that may be called upon to support operations across the vast Pacific region.
Looking Forward
As Talisman Sabre 2025 continues through August 4, the 15th Wing’s participation demonstrates the enduring importance of Hawaiian-based air power in Pacific security architecture. The exercise serves not only as a training event but as a visible demonstration of allied commitment to maintaining stability and security across the Indo-Pacific region.
The success of exercises like Talisman Sabre, supported by units such as the 15th Wing, helps ensure that partner nations can effectively coordinate responses to various challenges, from humanitarian disasters to complex security threats. As the strategic importance of the Pacific continues to grow, the 15th Wing’s role in such multinational exercises becomes increasingly vital to maintaining the delicate balance of power that ensures regional stability.
The integration of advanced capabilities, international cooperation, and strategic positioning embodied by the 15th Wing’s participation in Talisman Sabre 2025 represents the evolution of modern military exercises from simple bilateral training events to sophisticated demonstrations of allied unity and capability in an increasingly complex strategic environment.
Daniel Vorbach is based in Ipswich, Queensland but born and bred in Sydney. With a passion for Military & General aviation he made the jump in 2002 & moved to Ipswich just to get closer to the mighty F-111. Growing up in the shadows of Sydney’s Bankstown Airport he quickly developed a passion for aviation at a very early age. A late convert from film to digital SLR cameras, Daniel uses Canon equipment.