Talisman Saber Comes to a Close

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nicolas A. Cloward | BRISBANE, Australia -- Aboard the USS Wasp (LHD 1) at the Port of Brisbane, Petty Officer 2nd Class, Gabrial Buck, an operations specialist on the USS Wasp, escorts the Exercise Talisman Sabre flag away from the stage during the closing ceremony on July 27, marking the end of the exercise. Talisman Saber is a biannual exercise between the U.S. and Australian military forces. It represents the strong bond between the nations own forces and their ability to operate together. It provides practical and intense training to ensure U.S. and Australian forces are capable, interoperable, deployable on short notice and combat-ready. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nicolas A. Cloward)  

QLD, AUSTRALIA

07.27.2019

Story by Staff Sgt. Nicolas A. Cloward 

128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BRISBANE, Australia -- Aboard the USS Wasp (LHD 1) at the Port of Brisbane, military leaders concluded Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 with a closing ceremony on July 27. The closing ceremony marks the end of the eighth iteration of the exercise.

Talisman Saber is a biannual exercise between the U.S. and Australian military forces. It represents the strong bond between the nations own forces and their ability to operate together. It provides practical and intense training to ensure U.S. and Australian forces are capable, interoperable, deployable on short notice and combat-ready. This year's Talisman Saber is the most expansive exercise of its kind to date, encompassing over 34,000 personnel, 22 ships, and over 200 aircraft.
During the ceremony, the Talisman Saber flag waved gently from the ocean breeze while it was displayed next to the stage as the keynote speakers recapped the accomplishments of the Exercise.

"With every iteration, Talisman Saber becomes more valuable, more realistic and more challenging, and that's making all of us better," explained Rear Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "This year's Talisman Sabre was the culmination of months of planning spent preparing a challenging scenario and examining how, working together, we would respond to a tough and well-equipped adversary."

Sitting next to Kacher was Royal Australian, Army Maj. Gen. Roger Noble, deputy chief of Joint Operations who also spoke during the ceremony about the importance of interoperability and what was learned during the Exercise.

"In addition to the objectives and missions completed throughout the exercise, it has been invaluable to share and exchange different ways of working alongside our biggest defense allies," said Nobel.

This iteration of Talisman focused primarily on short-notice contingency response operations between the joint U.S and Australian forces. It included the deployment of the F-35B Joint Lightning II, amphibious assault vehicle landings and by doing so, both nations learned each other's capabilities.

At the end of the ceremony, the Talisman Saber flag was respectfully escorted out of sight by Petty Officer 2nd Class, Gabrial Buck, an operations specialist second class assigned to the USS Wasp, signaling the official end to this year's Talisman Saber.

• Date Taken: 07.27.2019
• Date Posted: 08.03.2019 12:18
• Story ID: 334375
• Location: QLD, AU