Australia, US Meet aboard USS Blue Ridge

More than 260 military and civilian augmentees from Australia and the U.S. arrived aboard the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), July 6, bringing additional manpower and competencies to the U.S. 7th Fleet staff prior to the start of exercise Talisman Sabre 2015.

Military leaders from each nation stressed to troops the importance of involvement in the exercise.

According to augmentees from both nations’ militaries, the exercise is a great way to not only sharpen military strategic skills, but also to form strong bonds among service members.

Talisman Sabre is the largest Australia-U.S. bilateral exercise, and provides a realistic and challenging training environment to practice readiness and interoperability between the two nations, while enhancing contributions to security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Image: US Navy