Photo By Capt. Frank Spatt | DARWIN, Australia — Staff from the U.S. Army’s 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade...... read more read more
DARWIN, Australia – Headquarters staff from the 38th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade and members of 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, integrated to form the first U.S. Army-Australian Defence Force (ADF) combined air and missile headquarters as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 from Jul 7-11, 2025. The collaboration focused on enhancing interoperability and refining air defense tactics, techniques, and procedures within a complex, high-end warfighting scenario.
Talisman Sabre 2025, underway across Australia, is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States, bringing together military personnel from the U.S., Australia and partner nations including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom with the number increasing from more than 35,000 military personnel in the first week to now more than 40,000 personnel. This year marks the 11th iteration of Talisman Sabre and is being hailed as the most ambitious iteration to date.
“Our team is deeply committed to fostering a strong and collaborative relationship with our ADF counterparts,” said Col. Joseph Scott, commander of the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. “Talisman Sabre provides an invaluable opportunity to learn from each other, refine our tactics, and build the trust essential for effective combined operations. This exercise provides a critical opportunity to prepare for potential real-world scenarios.”
The 38th ADA Brigade staff contributes to the exercise by sharing expertise in integrated air and missile defense planning, command and control procedures, and emerging air defense technologies. The headquarters identified best practices, addressed potential challenges and strengthened the combined ability of U.S. and Australian forces to operate seamlessly together in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The biggest opportunity that has presented itself has been the development of combined multi-echelon air and missile defense interoperability,” said brigade battle captain Capt. Chad Brasfield. “This captures a multi-faceted problem set which includes validating the ability to share data as well as the ability to battle track multiple air defense systems in a combined environment under one combined air and missile defense headquarters.”
“The Combined Air and Missile Defence Headquarters established for Talisman Sabre 25 shows how close allies can operate,” said Maj. Mick Parry, commander of Operations Support Battery, 16 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, 10 Brigade, Australian Army. “It’s not just about interoperability, it’s about trust, shared purpose, and integrated decision making. In an increasingly contested and complex security environment, our strength lies in unity.”
That sense of unity and integrated decision making extended to the battery level, where adaptability and teamwork turned manning and equipment shortfalls into opportunities for innovation.
“Through adaptability and teamwork, we overcome manning and equipment challenges,” said Warrant Officer Class 2 Ash Smith, battery sergeant major, Operations Support Battery, 16 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, 10 Brigade, Australian Army. “Problems became opportunities to innovate, which enabled the team to turn defense into dominance.”
In parallel with these combined defense efforts during Talisman Sabre 25, brigade logisticians have been working to sustain operations in northern Australia. The 38th ADA Brigade’s logistics team has established joint supply nodes, utilized digital tracking systems, and coordinated maintenance with ADF counterparts to keep air defense units fueled, armed, and ready for the exercise’s high tempo demands. This close cooperation has tested cross-national supply procedures, reduced resupply timelines, and validated shared support networks under realistic conditions.
“To date, the exercise has given us the opportunity to refine our own logistical processes for tracking and executing support in anticipation of the operational requirements while working with our Australian counterparts to identify and streamline the processes between our two countries,” said brigade logistics officer Maj. David Gattie, 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States, advancing a free and open Asia-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key allies and partners, while enhancing our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns.
The 38th ADA Brigade’s participation underscores the enduring alliance between the United States and Australia, built on decades of cooperation, training, and shared values.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2025 20:32 |
| Story ID: | 543792 |
| Location: | DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AU |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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