14/07/2025
'LARGEST MILITARY DRILL EVER': Australia, US, Singapore, India, Japan, South Korea, UK and Canada in a massive show of force against China
Australia has kicked off its largest-ever military war games, with more than 35,000 troops from 19 nations descending on the country for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 — a massive show of global force expected to draw scrutiny from China.
The three-week military spectacle, centred around Queensland’s Shoalwater Bay and expanding for the first time into Papua New Guinea, brings together elite forces from countries across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, in what Defence officials are calling a crucial rehearsal for regional defence cooperation.
Originally a joint drill between the US and Australia, Talisman Sabre has grown into a multinational military showcase — and this year’s edition is the most expansive in its 20-year history.
Joining Australia and the United States in this year’s drills are troops from Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK, France, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and the Netherlands.
Malaysia and Vietnam are also on board as observers — marking a significant regional step-up in defence collaboration.
But the massive military mobilisation isn’t going unnoticed.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy confirmed that Chinese spy ships are expected to once again hover off Australia’s coastline, as they have during the previous four iterations of Talisman Sabre.
“We will obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence,” Conroy said.
“But we will also adjust how we conduct our exercises accordingly.”
Australian military planners have built contingencies into the war games to protect sensitive operations from foreign surveillance.
The drills began just one day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in China for a six-day diplomatic visit that includes talks with President Xi Jinping.
Asked whether China’s surveillance of the war games would be raised during the visit, Albanese dismissed the idea: “That would be nothing unusual,” he said from Shanghai.
“That has happened in the past, and I will continue to assert Australia’s national interest, as I do.”
In a historic first, some components of Talisman Sabre will be held outside of Australia, including in Papua New Guinea, highlighting the increasing reach of Australia’s regional defence engagement.
The military manoeuvres involve amphibious landings, air assaults, live-fire drills, and combined special forces training, simulating real-world combat scenarios with interoperability across allied forces.
As the Indo-Pacific grows more tense and strategically contested, this year’s Talisman Sabre signals that Australia and its partners are preparing for the worst.
(Photo: Dean Lewins/EPA)