The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has provided certain details on this year’s Talisman Sabre training exercise, including a reduction in participating personnel.
Foreign military personnel participating in the exercise will arrive in Australia early this month and next month.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The DoD noted that international forces will arrive progressively, in tranches of up to several hundred.
All participants will undergo several travel requirements and a 14-day mandatory quarantine in ‘approved’ defence managed facilities in Australia.
Personnel from New Zealand, Canada, the Republic of Korea, the UK and Japan will take part in the exercise. France, India and Indonesia will serve as observer nations in the bilateral exercise.
Australia Joint Operations Chief lieutenant general Greg Bilton said the scale of this year’s exercise will be limited due to the ongoing pandemic.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe exercise is expected to see the participation of around 17,000 personnel.
Bilton said: “Around 1,800 foreign military personnel will arrive in Australia for this year’s exercise. We will also have part of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin participating, as well as naval and air assets exercising exclusively off-shore.
“The ADF, together with our United States and visiting partner nations, are committed to delivering a safe exercise, not just for the personnel involved, but the community as well.
“The exercise is fundamental to our alliance with the United States and critical to maintaining ADF combat readiness.”
Scheduled to commence on 14 July and end on 31 July, the exercise will take place at several defence bases and non-defence training areas in Australia.
It will be primarily held across central and north-east Queensland, as well as off the east coast of Australia.
An opening ceremony will be held at RAAF Base Amberley and other main events are set to take place in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area and the Townsville region.
In July 2019, the Royal Australian Air Force prepared Williamson Airfield for the bilateral Exercise Talisman Sabre (TS19).
