U.S. special forces are in Townsville, a key military hub on Australia’s northeast coast, taking part in the country’s largest-ever war games, Exercise Talisman Sabre.
The massive multinational drill involves more than 35,000 troops from 19 countries and spans land, sea, air, space and cyber domains. It’s a show of strength and solidarity among allies in the Indo-Pacific. It also serves as a message to China: Any move to assert territorial claims by force would come at a cost.
During the exercise, Australia live-fired a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket system for the first time in Queensland’s sprawling outback, marking a new level of defense cooperation between the two nations.
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While troops train shoulder to shoulder, there’s a growing sense they’re being watched. Chinese surveillance ships are expected, as they have been during every Talisman Sabre since 2017. Australian officials say that presence is routine but note they’ll be monitoring closely and adjusting operations as needed.
For the first time, some drills are also taking place in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s northern neighbor, signaling a strategic expansion of the exercise’s footprint.
Every movement on land, water and in the air is being made with the understanding that this isn’t just a drill — it’s a message.
Quietly operating alongside coalition forces are members of America’s most elite units. Their mission here isn’t just training, it’s preparation for the moment a geopolitical crisis erupts and the call comes.
