Troops from Japan and NZ will join Australia and the US for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 in July.
Conducted every second year, Talisman Sabre is the Australian Defence Force’s largest combined military exercise, involving up to 30,000 Australian and US participants at locations within the NT, Queensland, and the Coral, Timor and Arafura Seas.
It is the principal Australia and US bilateral training activity focussed on the planning and conduct of mid-intensity ‘high-end’ warfighting, exposing participants to a variety of capabilities and training experiences including live fire opportunities.
This year about 40 members from the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) will work with US forces in the conduct of the exercise, while a NZ contingent of more than 500 personnel, including ships and aircraft, will operate as part of the Australian forces.
Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral David Johnston, said the inclusion of the NZ and Japanese forces would enable the ADF to deepen its engagement with close defence partners in the region but did not change the bilateral nature of the exercise between Australia and the US.
“The primary aim of the exercise remains improving Australia-US readiness and the way we operate together through combined training,” VADM Johnston said.