The Talisman Sabre exercises’ importance has increased each year, as China has emerged as a regional and aspiring global maritime power.
The United States and Australia are currently engaged in “Operation Talisman Sabre,” the largest bilateral military exercise between the two allies. This is the eleventh iteration of the biennial exercise and the largest yet, with over 35,000 troops from 19 nations participating. Australia’s Defence Ministry characterizes Talisman Sabre 2025 as the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australia.
The three-week exercise will feature operations and activities in Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, Christmas Island, and, for the first time, Papua New Guinea. Forces from the United States, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom will take part. Malaysia and Vietnam have sent observers.
American forces present at the exercise are under the command of US Army Pacific, but the American presence includes elements from the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force. Talisman Sabre is running concurrently to the Air Force’s “Resolute Force Pacific” exercise, representing a true theater-wide capability in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite American force projection capabilities, allied cooperation is absolutely necessary in a region that constitutes China’s front porch.
Land, sea, air, space, and cyber capabilities will be tested, including live fire exercises. Integrated operations between branches and across nations will be emphasized to strengthen regional alliances and partnerships. The Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 and Marine Air-Ground Task Force, for example, are working alongside the Australian Army’s 1st Division for airfield seizures, establishing expeditionary advanced bases and sustainment hubs, and continuous airspace control over the Northern Territory. The MRF-D will also coordinate defensive cyber operations with their Australian and New Zealand counterparts.
America Sees the US-Led Alliance as a Counterbalance to China
Talisman Sabre comes only a few months after three Chinese warships conducted a close circumnavigation of Australia, including controversial live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Chinese surveillance ships are expected to observe Talisman Sabre, as they have in the past.
The 21 participants and observers make this the largest Talisman Sabre yet, indicating increasing concern over Chinese expansion efforts in the South and East China Seas. Some smaller nations’ involvement may be overlooked, but Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia control the all-important Strait of Malacca, through which 25-30 percent of global trade passes, including 20 percent of the world’s oil traffic—overwhelmingly destined for China. Vietnam’s presence on the South China Sea provides a key interest in the Strait’s security, as well as potential conflicts with Chinese expansion.
Both Indonesia and Singapore are participating in amphibious and wider maritime exercises within Talisman Sabre, thereby improving their ability to safeguard the Strait’s security. Malaysia also actively contributes to that security, and observing such exercises will contribute to its ability coordinate with other interested nations, including the United States.
Those nations’ participation serves as a counterbalance to Chinese aims in the South China Sea, which no doubt include increasing influence over the Strait of Malacca and regional and global trade.
The participation of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Tonga is also significant. China has been making economic inroads into the South Pacific, most notably in the nearby Solomon Islands, a British Commonwealth member between New Guinea and Fiji. Escalating Chinese influence in the South Pacific could eventually affect trade routes between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
The Talisman Sabre exercises’ importance has increased each year, as China has emerged as a regional and aspiring global maritime power. The Indo-Pacific region is inherently a maritime environment, despite Australia’s large land mass. Complex maritime operations require practice and cooperation. The littoral nations of the Southwest Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans are key to preserving the region’s peace and stability. But harnessing their potential requires sophisticated planning and the ability to work together.
About the Author: William Lawson
William Lawson is a military historian focusing on World War II and 20th century conflicts and the American Civil War. His specialty is operational level warfare, especially American amphibious doctrine. He writes on history, politics, and firearms for multiple publications and historical journals. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the Saber & Scroll Journal and Military History Chronicles and is a member of the Society for Military History and the American Historical Association. Lawson is based in Virginia.
Image: Shutterstock / Ryan Fletcher.
