The tenth iteration of Talisman Sabre 2023 was officially opened in Sydney today onboard the HMAS Canberra in a joint press conference hosted by The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence the Honourable Richard Marles MP, the United States Secretary of the Navy, the Honourable Carlos Del Toro, Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton AO, CSC and United States Army Major General Jered Helwig, Commander of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 is being conducted across Australia from the 22nd July to the 4th August. More than 30,000 military personnel from 13 nations will directly participate in the exercise.
Talisman Sabre is the largest Australia-US bilaterally planned, multilaterally conducted exercise and this year also includes participants from Fiji, France, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany, with the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand attending as observers.
“This is a critical moment in the life of the Australian Defence Force to demonstrate that our Defence Force is match fit.”
The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence the Honourable Richard Marles MP
Unlike previous iterations of Talisman Sabre that typically took place around the Townsville and Shoalwater Bay regions, this year will see a huge increase in the scale and complexity of the exercise. The Queensland coast will remain the prime location for an array of land, sea and air combat whilst the Northern Territory and Western Australia will cater for the majority of the air domain with the USS Ronald Reagan situated in the Timor Sea. In New South Wales, Jervis Bay has already been utilised by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force with Norfolk Island also planned to host forces throughout the exercise.
The Aviation Studio are looking forward to covering further activities on Talisman Sabre 2023 as the exercise unfolds.
Update 27th July 2023
Raptors At RAAF Base Tindal
The 199th Air Expeditionary Squadron, known as the Hawaiian Raptors Squadron, comprised of the 19th and the 199th Fighter Squadrons, have based their Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors at RAAF Base Tindal for the duration of the exercise. Arriving in several batches from Clark Air Base in the Philippines, the aircraft had participated in Cope Thunder 23-2. The F-22 Raptor is no stranger to Australia with several deployments in recent years including Talisman Sabre in 2019 and a 2022 deployment under the Enhanced Air Cooperation program.
RAAF Base Richmond Going Commando
Basing two AC-130J Ghostriders at RAAF Base Richmond since late June for Exercise Teak Action 23, the Special Ops contingent for Talisman Sabre has been bolstered by the arrival of several MC-130J Commando IIs, and two MH-47G Chinooks. This marks the second time that the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) have featured in Talisman Sabre following their participation in 2019.
In the lead up to the exercise, Green Berets from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducted static-line and military free-fall parachuting as well as sniper training alongside Australian Army soldiers from 2nd Commando Regiment.
Other elements from 2nd Commando Regiment started their final preparations with an early morning swim, with an MC-130J Commando aircraft dispatching the commandos via a static-line parachute insertion into the chilly waters of Jervis Bay in southern New South Wales.
Six Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers from the Long Range Reconnaissance Unit (LRRU) also joined 1st Commando Regiment special forces soldiers at Holsworthy Barracks for preparations prior to the exercise.
During Exercise Talisman Sabre, special operations training activities are being conducted in NSW, Queensland and offshore.
Checking Out The Competition
In a revelation to media during the opening ceremony, Lieutenant General Bilton identified there was a People’s Liberation Army Navy Dongdiao-Class Auxiliary Intelligence Ship in the Coral Sea.
We reached out on Thursday and hailed that vessel in the Coral Sea…[the response was] courteous and in accordance with normal norms at sea.
It’ll move down, I expect, and join the exercise – or be in the location of the exercise again. They’ve done this for a number of years, we’re well prepared for it.
Lieutenant General Greg Bilton AO, CSC, Chief of Joint Operations Australian Defence Force
Soon after this, images were published by Defence showing a RAAF Boeing P-8 Poseidon intercepting the vessel in international waters. P-8 Poseidons have been forward deployed from their base in RAAF Base Edinburgh to RAAF Base Amberley where they have been conducting regular sorties northbound to the Coral Sea.
Occurring every two years, Talisman Sabre reflects the strength of Australia’s military relationship with the United States and shared commitment to working with likeminded partners in the region. The exercise provides an opportunity to exercise combined capabilities to conduct high-end, multi-domain warfare, to build and affirm military-to-military ties and interoperability, and strengthen strategic partnerships.
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