Multination Talisman Sabre military exercise demonstrates unity among Australia, U.S., allies

July 31, 2023

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Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra arrives in Sydney in mid-July 2023. Built in Australia, it is the first U.S. warship commissioned in a foreign port. IMAGE CREDIT: REUTERS

The Associated Press

The multinational Talisman Sabre military exercise in Australia shows the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that Indo-Pacific allies and partners collectively will defend their security and democratic values, United States Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said.

Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between Australia and the U.S. and has expanded to 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel in 2023.

Del Toro and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles welcomed ever-closer bilateral military ties as they launched the exercise at a Sydney naval base.

Del Toro said land, sea and air military platforms are increasingly complex and allies must exercise together to perform as a single force.

“The most important message that China can take from this exercise and anything that our allies and partners do together is that we are extremely tied by the core values that exist among our many nations together,” Del Toro told reporters.

“We are prepared to actually operate together in defense of our national security interests and in defense of the core values that we all share,” he added.

Marles said more than 800 military vehicles would deploy to the Queensland state coastal town of Bowen during the two-week exercise that began in late July.

“All of this is actually building muscle memory between our two countries’ defense forces, is building comfort and familiarity and obviously not just between Australia and the United States but the other 11 countries,” Marles said.

The closer military relationship was underscored by the commissioning of USS Canberra in Sydney on July 22. The Independence-variant littoral combat ship, built by Australian manufacturer Austal, is the first U.S. warship commissioned in a foreign port.

The original USS Canberra was a cruiser launched in 1943 and named after the Australian HMAS Canberra. It was torpedoed by the Japanese in 1942, with a loss of 193 lives, while supporting U.S. Marines landing on the Solomon Islands.

The Solomons are again a security concern for like-minded Indo-Pacific allies and partners after undisclosed agreements between the South Pacific nation and Beijing.

PRC spy ships have shadowed Talisman Sabre exercises since 2017, a move Australian Army Lt. Gen. Greg Bilton said the Army is “well prepared for.”

Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Tonga and the United Kingdom also took part in the 2023 exercise. The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand attended as observers.