More than 3,000 British forces are taking part in the largest
military exercise Australia has ever hosted, as the UK's Carrier
Strike Group (CSG25) demonstrates Britain's unwavering commitment
to Indo-Pacific security.
The Carrier Strike Group is in Australia as part of Operation
Highmast, the major global deployment that demonstrates Britain's
strategic commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
From British Gurkhas to US Marines to Australian Defence Force
amphibious specialists, Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 serves as one
of the deployment's key moments, bringing together multinational
forces to strengthen and test how nations can work together to
safeguard global trade routes and maintain regional
stability.
Spanning across a vast area in Western Australia, the
Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales, the
Australian-US led biennial exercise is bigger than ever,
involving over 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations – making
Talisman Sabre the largest exercise of the CSG's deployment and
one of the largest military exercises in the world this
year. For the first time, offshore activities will also be
conducted in Papua New Guinea.
Defence Secretary said:
The historic bonds between Britain and Australia run deep, and
through AUKUS and exercises like Talisman Sabre we are
strengthening these ties for the challenges of
tomorrow.
Our commitment to the Indo-Pacific is unwavering, as this huge
military exercise demonstrates. The unprecedented scale showcases
the growing importance of cooperation in addressing shared
challenges. We will continue to work alongside our closest allies
to maintain the security and stability that underpins global
prosperity.
Commodore James Blackmore said:
This is a real demonstration of the UK and our partners'
warfighting capabilities.
As the first UK-led multinational Carrier Strike Group to
Talisman Sabre this is a powerful demonstration of our commitment
to the Indo-Pacific region.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is also an opportunity for the UK to
develop new levels of integration between systems and
capabilities with the US, Australia, and other partners,
enhancing our interoperability even further and to unprecedented
levels.
All three branches of the UK Armed Forces are engaged, with
the Royal Marines playing a central role throughout the exercise
alongside a Ranger Battalion from the Army and RAF Voyager
aircraft.
The exercise strengthens operational cooperation with
international partners, ensuring our collective ability to
maintain the rules-based international order that underpins
global trade and security.
The Royal Navy, alongside its AUKUS partners, is testing
cutting-edge sub-sea and seabed warfare capabilities, showcasing
interoperability across our navies. Additionally, for the first
time, AUKUS nations will demonstrate the ability to remotely
control Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (XL-UUVs) from a
remote operating centre.
Through DSTL via the Resilience Autonomy and AI Technology
collaboration, nations tested autonomy-enabled systems able to
find and strike an advancing adversary. This experimentation
provided a realistic combat environment for AUKUS to operate as
an AI-enabled, integrated force, exploiting cutting-edge
technology to ensure strategic advantage against a range of
simulated adversaries.
The CSG25 deployment reinforces the government's Plan for Change
by strengthening international partnerships that underpin
economic growth and national security, keeping Britain secure at
home and strong abroad. Operation Highmast occurs against the
backdrop of the government's landmark commitment to increasing
defence spending to 2.6% of GDP.
This historic investment underpins the government's mission-led
approach to securing Britain's future, providing the economic
stability necessary for growth whilst ensuring the UK maintains
cutting-edge capabilities such as the Carrier Strike Group to
meet emerging global threats.
