‘Olympics of war games’ enhances partner readiness, interoperability

FORUM Staff

From a multinational amphibious assault to an innovative over-the-shore logistics operation and tests of lifesaving wearable technology, Talisman Sabre 2023 sharpened readiness and forged relationships among 30,000 troops from more than a dozen allied and partner nations, while demonstrating “unified resolve” to ensure Indo-Pacific peace and stability.

The 10th iteration of the biennial Australia-United States exercise proved unprecedented in its scale and scope, an “Olympics of war games” that featured live and simulated drills and training across warfighting domains at bases and other locations throughout Australia over two weeks in July and August. Participating nations also included Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Tonga and the United Kingdom, while India, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand attended as observers.

The integration of new forces into the exercise was “remarkably smooth,” Australian Army Col. Ben McLennan, commander of the Australian Defense Force’s (ADF) Combat Training Centre, told FORUM at the ADF’s expansive Townsville Field Training Area in northeastern Queensland, about 1,100 kilometers north of Brisbane. “The fact that in less than 20 years we’ve gone from two nations through to 13, and likely 17 next time, is really incredible.

“The integration is across people, process and platform,” McLennan said, sitting beside a roughly 8-by-16-meter floor map of the force-on-force portion of the exercise, with red and blue models of troops, tanks, helicopters and warships denoting each force’s position and assets. “I think our people, coming from like-minded countries, integrate pretty well. There’s an earnestness there, and there’s a real desire to cooperate, to collaborate, to team together.

“We are all similar, but we all have differences, and so these types of activities are fantastic to help develop common processes that work for people from multiple nations.”

With more than 100 personnel at Talisman Sabre, the Indonesian Armed Forces were among the contributors to and beneficiaries of multilateral collaboration. “We already learned so much from the beginning of the exercise, even from the planning of the exercise,” Indonesian Army Lt. Col. Arief Widyanto, commander of the 501st Airborne Battalion, told FORUM.

“This is a great experience for Indonesian troops to be able to join such a large exercise outside our country [and] to be able to know the capabilities of the allied forces,” he said.

Emerging technologies and competencies demonstrated during Talisman Sabre encompassed the minuscule to the massive. U.S. service members tested the Health Readiness and Performance System, which includes a cellphone-connected device worn over the heart to monitor for signs of heat stress, according to Dr. Nathan Fisher, a senior scientist with the U.S. Defense Department’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense.

“It measures heart rate, heart rate variation, respiratory rate, pulse oxygen level activity and a few other physiological metrics that all come together in order to enable a predictive algorithm to analyze the data from that service member and then alarm that individual or squad leader or medic to take a look at that person,” Fisher said in a news release.

U.S. troops also partnered with Australian personnel to construct a floating causeway to ferry vehicles and equipment from ship to shore off the Queensland coast, a vital capability in austere environments or when port facilities are unavailable.

“In a contested logistics environment, the sustainment enterprise needs to be adaptive and flexible to meet the operational needs across the Indo-Pacific,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jered Helwig, commander of 8th Theater Sustainment Command, said in a statement.

For a small developing nation such as Tonga, Talisman Sabre was an invaluable opportunity to be “part of the regional security arrangements,” said Lt. Col. Tau Aholelei, commander of the Pacific Island Country’s 40-member contingent at the exercise.

“We all have our various respective security interests. At the same time, we also have common security interests,” Aholelei told FORUM at Townsville Field, a 2,300-square-kilometer training area that is three times larger than Tonga. As “one of the smallest participants, we also want to show our security partners that we can contribute, and not only contribute but contribute so we add value to operations, we add value to the partnership, and [demonstrate] that we are reliable and trustworthy when it comes to security operations.
“It’s also part of us giving back to our region. We receive a lot of assistance and support.”

Aggressive posturing by the Chinese Communist Party in the East and South China seas and around self-governed Taiwan, North Korea’s spate of missile launches, and Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have heightened concerns over regional stability. Talisman Sabre came just months after the Australian government unveiled a comprehensive Defence Strategic Review that highlighted the worsening geopolitics and called for the development of long-range strike capabilities, enhanced infrastructure at the nation’s northern military bases, and increased engagement with allies and partners, particularly the U.S.

As Talisman Sabre entered its second week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Brisbane for talks with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. Among other initiatives, the leaders agreed to increase visits by U.S. Navy submarines to Australia and to collaborate on weapons production, including guided multiple-launch rocket systems.

In a joint statement, they noted that their nations’ alliance has never been stronger: “Based on a bond of shared values, it remains a partnership of strategic interest — premised on a common determination to preserve stability, prosperity, and peace.”

Talisman Sabre epitomizes that bond, exercise planners said. “Overall, I think it’s been a remarkable achievement,” McLennan told FORUM. “And I think it’s testament to that common, unified resolve and commitment to operate together, to train together and to be better together to potentially fight together.”

IMAGE CREDIT: PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS THOMAS B. CONTANT/U.S. NAVY