Updated 30 November 2025

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025

This was the eighth time that King Arthur’s Writes had attended a Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia. Alas, it is probably the last one too, for the authorities are making it just too difficult to get decent access. Media access to events such as urban assaults or manoeuvre warfare “in the box” of training areas was once possible, but no more. Instead, the powers-that-be are content to open up just a couple of main events (e.g. the opening firepower demonstration and an amphibious landing), and unfortunately they provide few opportunities beyond that.

This is a shame, since Exercise Talisman Sabre has grown into an enormous event. This year’s iteration – held from 13-27 July – involved nearly 43,000 troops from 19 nations. This eleventh edition of the exercise to date, crisscrossed territory spanning 5,300km from west to east across Australia. Five new nations joined proceedings this year: India, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands and Norway. Other returning participants were Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Tonga, the United Kingdom and USA.

A number of important events included firing of a PrSM from a HIMARS, and the US Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force firing an SM-6 missile from its Typhon missile system. The latter occurred on 15 July, and it marked the first time the Typhon had been fired outside the continental USA. Much of the exercise was rehearsing how Australia, the USA and allies would take on a rampant China along the First Island Chain in the event of war. Amidst the limited opportunities that King Arthur’s Writes garnered was observation of a Japanese-USMC amphibious landing at Stanage Bay. This saw the use of the USMC’s 8x8 Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), the first time these vehicles had been to Australia.