More than 33,000 U.S. and Australian personnel will participate in the biennial military training exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 in Australia July 4-19.
Talisman Sabre, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and Australian Defence Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command, will incorporate U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force as well as other government agencies from each country.
Featuring 21 ships, including the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and more than 200 aircraft and three submarines, this sixth iteration of the exercise will focus on joint training of a combined task force of U.S. and Australian forces in a mid-intensity, high-end operation, incorporating inter-agency participation. U.S. Pacific Command units and Australian forces will conduct land, sea, and air training throughout multiple training areas in and around Australia.
The exercise will be conducted from multiple locations in the U.S. to include Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, San Diego, Joint Base Lewis McCord, Norfolk and Suffolk, Virginia, and on the island of Guam; and multiple locations in Australia to include Darwin, Rockhampton, Amberley, Canberra, Enoggera, Fog Bay, the maritime areas of the Coral Sea; and Australian ranges to include the Bradshaw, Shoalwater and Townsville Field Training Areas.
Talisman Sabre provides an invaluable opportunity to conduct operations in a combined, joint and inter-agency environment that will increase both countries’ ability to plan and execute contingency responses, from combat missions to humanitarian assistance efforts.
Image: US Navy