Sharpening Iron! Talisman Saber operations get underway.

Sharpening Iron! Talisman Saber operations get underway.

Sharpening Iron!

Talisman Saber 2025 operations get underway.

 

Report: Jaryd Stock

Images: Jaryd Stock & Caelan McDougall 

 

Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, officially commenced on July 13th following an opening ceremony on board HMAS Adelaide in Sydney Harbour.   

Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, was joined by United States Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, Lieutenant General Joel B. Vowell, for the official opening at Garden Island, Sydney.

Now in its 11th iteration, Talisman Sabre 2025 is the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

Over the next three weeks, more than 35,000 military personnel from Australia and partnering nations will deploy across Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Christmas Island. For the first time, activities will also be conducted outside of Australia in Papua New Guinea. 

In addition to the United States, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom will join as partners. 

Malaysia and Vietnam will also attend as observers.

This year’s exercise will consist of live-fire exercises and field training activities, incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.

It will also feature a range of new Australian Defence Force capabilities, including UH-60M Black Hawks and the Precision Strike Missile.

 

 

 

There are a number of firsts for this years Talisman Sabre with the afore mentioned Australian Army Black Hawk helicopters operated by 6th Aviation Regiment participating for the first time operating in Papa New Guinea.

The country is participating in its first Talisman Sabre and will host elements of the Special Operations Air Task Group consisting of 6th Aviation Regiment UH-60M’s, U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment with MH-60M Black Hawk and MH-47G Chinooks, Republic of Singapore Air Force CH-47F Chinooks from 127th Squadron (Oakey Detachment)  and Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffin helicopters.

This is the largest gathering of special operations aviation units ever assembled in Australia and are supported by U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II from the 1st Special Operations Squadron which have deployed to Australia and will support specialised missions in the Combat Search and Rescue scenarios throughout the exercise that will be conducted in Papa New Guinea.

The international visitors apart of the Special Operations Air Task Group deployed to Holsworthy Barracks near Sydney where they ramped up operations with their hosts from the Australian Army, with various training scenarios on Sydney Harbour and at the training facilities located at the Army base.

 

The Royal Canadian Air Force has ramped up its participation in this years exercise with CC-177 Globemasters from 429 Transport Squadron supporting in the logistics role in an exercise area that stretches nearly half of the of the Australian Coastline. Also from Canada are the CC-130J Hercules that are supporting the Griffins during the exercise.

“Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 unites more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, and provides an unrivalled opportunity to train together across the sea, land, air, space and cyber domains.” stated Chief of Australian Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones.

“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.

Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, was joined by United States Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, Lieutenant General Joel B. Vowell, for the official opening onboard HMAS Adelaide, docked in Sydney.

“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.”

The United States military which are cohosts of the exercise have contributed a significant amount of resources to this exercise.

USS America (LHA-6) Amphibious Assault Group consisting of USS San Diego (LPD-22) and USS Rushmore (LSD-47) with 2’500 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit personnel embarked onboard are conducting beach landing operations in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, and the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) supporting Carrier Air Wing 5 operations training in the Offensive Counter Air and Defensive Counter operations in the Bradshaw Field Training Area, south of Darwin.

A few other firsts highlighting the focus on the electronic spectrum warfare is a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon from the extremely secretive Bureau of Naval Personnel Sea Duty Component (BUPERS SDC) at Dallas Love Field Airport, Texas, carrying the new-generation and highly classified AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS) pod, marking the first time the system has been noted as visiting Australia.

The APS-154 pod contains a AESA radar and is designed to provide multi-function moving target detection and tracking and high resolution ground mapping at standoff ranges covering land, littoral, and water areas. Once the crew of the Poseidon scan map and track targets, the P-8 can send targeting information to another armed platform and guide a networked weapon such as the HIMARS artillery system recently procured by the Australian Army.

 

 

Also deploying to the exercise for the first time is a RC-135W Rivet Joint from the 55th Reconnaissance Wing at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, this aircraft essentially works as a hoover sucking up all the electronic signals and then processing and sending the relative information to command and front line forces giving an overall picture of the battle space in the air and on the ground.

That information then gets processed and helps forces to change and adapt in real time allowing them to make decisions which allow for objectives to be met in an ever-changing battle space.

A 55th Wing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint lands at Royal Australian Air Force Base Edinburgh, South Australia July 3, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chris Thornbury)

 

The exercise wraps up on August 4th.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE FROM TALISMAN SABRE 2025 IN FUTURE ARTICLES.

 

 

 

 

 

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