The largest iteration of the Talisman Sabre war games is now underway in Australia, drawing participation from over 35,000 troops across 19 countries — and likely, once again, the attention of Chinese surveillance ships.
This biennial military exercise, which began in 2005 as a joint operation between the US and Australia, now includes forces from Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and the UK. Malaysia and Vietnam are attending as observers, while activities will also extend for the first time into Papua New Guinea, Australia’s closest neighbour.
Australia’s Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said China has consistently monitored past drills, and officials expect the same this year.
“The Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017. It’d be very unusual for them not to observe it,” Conroy told ABC News. As of Sunday, however, no Chinese ships had been detected shadowing the current exercise.
The exercise officially launched with a ceremony in Sydney on Sunday, attended by senior defence officials from Australia and the United States. Notably, the war games began just a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in China for a six-day official visit, where he’s expected to meet President Xi Jinping.
The timing of the drills has stirred domestic commentary, especially given Albanese’s inability to secure a face-to-face with US President Donald Trump, despite his visit to Washington earlier this year. The Talisman Sabre exercises are widely seen as a demonstration of Australia’s strategic alignment with the US, amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions and ongoing efforts to balance ties between China and Western allies.
