A member of the French defence forces wears a badge displaying the emblem of the annual Talisman Sabre exercise, as they stand aboard the French patrol vessel Auguste Benebig, in Sydney on July 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP
India, along with 18 other nations, is participating in Talisman Sabre 2025, a major bilateral military drill led by Australia that commenced on Sunday (July 13, 2025).
Now in its 11th iteration, the Talisman Sabre is the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australia, the Department of Defence, Australia, said in a statement. The exercise unites more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations.
“Over the next three weeks, more than 35,000 military personnel from Australia and partnering nations will deploy across Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Christmas Island [in Australia]. For the first time, activities will also be conducted outside of Australia in Papua New Guinea,” the statement said.
In addition to the U.S., military forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the U.K. would join as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam will attend as observers.
This edition of the military exercise would consist of live-fire exercises and field training activities, incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations. It will also feature a range of new Australian Defence Force capabilities, including UH-60M Black Hawks and the Precision Strike Missile.
Vice-Admiral Justin Jones, the Chief of Joint Operations, Royal Australian Navy, will join Lieutenant General Joel B. Vowell, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Pacific, for the official opening at Garden Island, Sydney, Australia.
Published – July 13, 2025 07:50 pm IST
