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Australia is set to host more than 30,000 military personnel during its largest-ever Exercise Talisman Sabre from July this year. But what strategy can we expect, and which defence systems are we likely to see in action?
In the 11th iteration, more than 19 nations will participate in the bilateral combined training activity between the Australian Defence Force and the United States military from 13 July to 4 August this year.
Participating partner nations include Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom. Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam will also attend as observers.
“This year’s exercise will demonstrate our ability to receive large volumes of personnel and equipment into Australia from across the Indo-Pacific, to stage, integrate and move them forward into the large exercise area,” Talisman Sabre Exercise director Brigadier Damian Hill said.
“Considerable planning has gone into a safe and productive exercise for all participants.
“Talisman Sabre 2025 will be held across a range of Defence and non-Defence training areas throughout northern Australia.
“I thank the traditional owners, landowners, state authorities and key community stakeholders who have helped us develop a safe and productive exercise for all participating nations.”
Talisman Sabre 2025 will reportedly focus on multi-domain warfighting across parts of Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, NSW, Christmas Island and for the first time, in Papua New Guinea.
“Our collective goal for Talisman Sabre 2025 is to build combined joint warfighting capabilities with allies and partners,” Talisman Sabre 2025 lead US planner Lieutenant Colonel Jon Peterson said.
“We will continue to build on the success and lessons learned from Talisman Sabre 2023 and focus on how this large-scale exercise will contribute toward maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
During the exercise, military personnel are expected to participate in key activities such as amphibious and airborne deployments, firepower demonstrations and combat across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains.
In addition, logistics will be organised for preparing, staging, integrating and moving forces to and around Australia.
Guided missile systems.
Without a doubt, we can expect to see more guided missile systems on show at Talisman Sabre 2025 than ever before.
The Australian Army’s 10th Brigade has already been confirmed to bring short-range, ground-based air defence long-range precision strike and specialist targeting effects under a single command structure. We can expect ADF personnel to show off their new capabilities (National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) in live-fire trials of the Precision Strike Missile at the exercise.
Earlier this week, Taiwanese troops test-fired their own HIMARS for the first time at Jiupeng test centre on the island’s south-eastern coast. The Republic of China has reportedly purchased 29 HIMARS from American defence prime Lockheed Martin and previously sent military personnel to the United States for training on the system.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also recently announced that the US military will attempt to field long-range missiles capable of striking moving land and maritime targets by 2027.
“The president gave us a clear mission: achieve peace through strength,” he said in a Pentagon memo addressing US Army transformation and acquisition reform.
“To achieve this, the United States Army must prioritise defending our homeland and deterring China in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Deterring war, and if required, winning on the rapidly evolving battlefield, requires soldiers who are physically and mentally resilient, rigorously trained and equipped with the best technology available.”
In addition, the Australian Defence Force and the United States Armed Forces have previously announced a partnership to develop the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) co-development program for advance long-range precision fire capabilities.
PrSM surface-to-surface, all weather, precision strike guided missiles are expected to be able to destroy, neutralise and suppress targets at ranges from 70 kilometres to more than 400km.
Amphibious capabilities and counter-beach landings
Amphibious capabilities and counter-beach landings are expected to play a major role at Talisman Sabre this year, continuing the theme from a previous Talisman Sabre exercise in 2023 in which participants conducted amphibious insertion and beach landings.
In addition, earlier this month, the Australian Defence Force welcomed US Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd and Major General Paul Kenny, Deputy Theatre Commander of Headquarters Joint Operations Command to Fleet Base East in Sydney, to discuss and observe amphibious capabilities.
The ADF has also recently returned from conducting counter-beach landings training with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces during Exercise Balikatan at Palawan in the Philippines. At the exercise, the United States Army 1st Multi-Domain Task Force fired HIMARS at pre-designated coordinates during the counter-landing live-fire exercise at Campong Ulay.
At that exercise, Australian Army soldiers from the 5th/7th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, fired a Javelin Weapon System to repel opposition landing operations.
It makes sense that amphibious capabilities and counter-beach landings would be a key feature of this year’s Talisman Sabre, as Western militaries gear up to counteract similar expected fighting during any possible invasions of Taiwan by the People’s Republic of China from 2027 onward.
Housing and fatigue management upgrades.
We can already confirm that there will be personnel housing and fatigue management upgrades at Talisman Sabre with the introduction of Humanihut Base Camps in Brisbane and Townsville.
“Talisman Sabre 2025 will have many firsts. These camps will provide respite and fatigue management accommodation for exercise participants,” BRIG Hill said.
“Whilst canvas (and hootchies) will always form a part of how we train and fight, it doesn’t hurt to have some basic creature comforts.
“Brisbane site now established. Townsville in coming weeks. 512 beds in each location from four base camps with toilet and shower facilities. Australian company, Australian designed and built from Australian Bluescope steel.”
Accommodation in Townsville has previously been outlined as an issue requiring a fast-tracked solution, while management of fatigue was highlighted as a factor in the fatal crash of Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter in 2023.
Drone and autonomous systems trials
Talisman Sabre has become a testing ground for various uncrewed aerial systems and unmanned ground vehicles over the last few iterations, and we can expect to see this continue.
Australian Army soldiers from the 13th Engineer Regiment have previously been seen using ground uncrewed system (GUS) near RAAF Base Curtin in Derby during the event.
In addition, it’s expected that the Australian Army’s autonomous M113 AS4 armoured vehicles (with integrated R400 EOS remote weapon stations) are nearing a higher standard of capability and they could be deployed for the exercise.
Autonomous systems at Talisman Sabre are likely to be the ultimate wildcard for the event. Will we be seeing initial experimental usage of first-person-view drones? Will there be a non-combative kid-gloves trial of aircraft with collaborative uncrewed aerial systems?
