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| Image: Flickr User - U.S. Pacific Fleet |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The message of ‘Talisman Sabre’ was clear: Back off China!
Held from July 4-19 and involving more than 33,000 troops, 200 aircraft as well as 21 ships, this year’s “Talisman Sabre” training exercise focused on the on the planning and conduct of mid-intensity “high end” warfighting, according [PDF] to Australia’s Department of Defense.
Held biennially, this year marked the sixth iteration of the joint Australia-United States military exercise held since 2005. For the first time, New Zealand and Japan dispatched troops (500 and 40 respectively) to participate in the maneuvers primarily held at the North Australian Range Complex (Bradshaw and Mount Bundy Training Areas and Delamere Range Facility), the East Australian Range Complex (Shoalwater Bay, Townsville and Cowley Beach Training Areas).
The exercise constitutes the largest combined military drill involving the Australian military and covers a wide array of activities including force preparation activities, Special Forces activities, amphibious landings, parachuting, land force maneuver, urban operations, air operations, maritime operations and the coordinated firing of live ammunition and explosive ordnance from small arms, artillery, naval vessels and aircraft.
“During TS15 we demonstrated our Pacific partnership with the Australians and Kiwis. The first level of TS15 [Talisman Sabre] validated our long-standing relationship with the Australians and it was a reminder that our two nations have fought together in every major conflict since World War II,” Commander Michael Posey, the U.S. Navy’s lead planner for the exercise, said in a press statement.
Read the full story at The Diplomat