iscover
Serco has supported the design, build and transfer of military targets during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, hosted by the Australian Defence Force.
The British multinational defence company, using its Defence Marine Support Services contract, was able to design and construct missile practice targets during the exercise.
In addition, the company also undertook refuelling of visiting naval vessels, provided towing and berthing of participating craft, facilitating international personnel transfers, laying of practice mines on the seabed and supporting the Royal Australian Navy’s Autonomous Warrior program in the Jervis Bay and Eastern Australian Exercise Areas.
This year, Serco’s medical teams, stationed in ADF bases across the Northern Territory and northern Queensland, also played a critical role in supporting the health and wellbeing of participating military personnel. In addition, medical officers and nurses on the ground provided healthcare services throughout the event.
Peter Behrendt, Serco managing director, defence, said he was proud of the work being done by the company’s engineers, general purpose hands, masters and site managers stationed at HMAS Coonawarra, Kuttabul, and Creswell, who have been integral in helping the RAN prepare for Talisman Sabre 2025.
“This year is the 11th and largest iteration of the exercise, and our staff are vital in supporting the smooth running of the event. Over the 45 days more than 40 Serco personnel were actively involved across sea and land,” Behrendt said.
“Since April this year the team has been working alongside the Joint Fires and Live Fire Exercise Planner from the Department of Defence to bring the vision of the Royal Canadian Navy and both the United States Army and Navy to life. The construction of these complex targets shows a deep understanding of the needs of our customers, and we were very honoured to play an active part in the making this exercise a success.
“This year’s exercise highlights the critical role Serco played in enabling complex joint operations. From towage and berthing support to logistics coordination, our contribution reflects the strength of our relationship with the Australian Defence Force as well as the Defence Forces of other participating nations, and our commitment to operational excellence.”
“Supporting Talisman Sabre 2025 is yet another example of how Serco stands as a trusted and capable partner to Defence. Our involvement across multiple domains showcases not only our technical expertise but also the enduring reliability we bring to Australia’s national security efforts.”
During this year’s Exercise Talisman Sabre, featuring attendance from more than 40,000 military personnel from 19 nations, Serco engineers produced military targets with specific modifications aligned to the demands of each live-fire exercise.
It also supplied construction, transfer and installation of three maritime target platforms during the exercise to support live-fire exercises being conducted by the United States Army, Navy and Royal Canadian Navy. Serco’s engineers designed and constructed these targets based on the Mk3 target, which included a full alloy mesh deck with 3,000x3,000 work area, 900x900 frame for the mounting of antennas, boosters and aerials, 900x900 radar reflector and four corner reflectors.
The targets, with a load-bearing capacity of around 544 kilograms each, contained complex structures to simulate and mimic a large defence vessel at sea. They were designed with a bridal and were towed by Serco crews into position to support these live-fire exercises.
The company has previously supported an inshore maritime operations component of Talisman Sabre 2023 by conducting harbour services.
Serco has worked alongside the Department of Defence to support their requests and is proud of the team’s ability to rapidly deliver the target builds to support the critical live-fire exercises, said DMSS contract manager Chris Doolin.
“Designing, building and transporting these targets, whilst remaining agile to support customer needs is something we have taken great pride in. Our engineers intimately understand the needs of vessels participating the live-fire exercises and we worked closely with our customers to collaborate on the final build.
“The distance alone to get these targets to site is more than 4,100 km by road and is credit to the Serco crew who seamlessly made this happen.”
