Talisman Sabre: Australia, US push Pacific deterrence amid China’s security overtures

Analysts note the significance of Papua New Guinea and Fiji’s unprecedented involvement in this year’s ‘Olympics of war games’

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Australian troops drive multiple launch rocket systems for test-firing at Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton last week during Talisman Sabre 2025. Photo: AP

Published: 2:00pm, 23 Jul 2025Updated: 2:52pm, 23 Jul 2025

For the first time in its history, Australia’s flagship military exercise has moved beyond its own shores, drawing in Pacific island nations as Canberra and Washington push to “regionalise” strategic deterrence across the Indo-Pacific.

Neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG) is hosting parts of this year’s Talisman Sabre exercise, which began on July 13 and runs until August 4, with activities involving Australian and US troops.

“This is an important demonstration of the deepening integration between Australia and Papua New Guinea’s Defence Forces”, senior Australian naval officer Vice-Admiral Justin Jones said in a statement announcing the drills in April, referring to the two countries’ militaries.

This year’s iteration of Talisman Sabre, featuring more than 30,000 personnel from 19 nations, is the largest in the exercise’s history.

A French serviceman wears a badge displaying the emblem of the 2025 Talisman Sabre exercise aboard the French patrol vessel Auguste Benebig in Sydney on July 13. Photo: AFP

Military contingents from Fiji, Tonga and a host of other partners – including Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Britain – are taking part in a series of complex drills encompassing live-fire exercises, air combat and maritime operations such as amphibious landings.

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