Photo By Staff Sgt. Mikayla Fritz | U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 987th Medical Detachment (Blood Support) and New Zealand...... read more read more
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QUEENSLAND, Australia – Each morning, the rhythmic pitter-patter of running shoes echoes across sandy, rocky soil as multinational service members squeeze in their early runs. Throughout the day, the clank of weights and upbeat music spills from the Aussie gym conex—evidence of the shared priority on physical readiness at Talisman Sabre 25.
A casual conversation in the mess hall between an Australian Defence Force service member and U.S. Soldiers about their countries’ respective fitness tests sparked an idea: What if they swapped fitness assessments?
“Doing PT [physical training] together opens the door to so many possibilities. You start to realize how much we can learn from each other,” said Australian Defence Force Sgt. Chantelle Gane, a physical training instructor with the 2nd Health Battalion. “It’s also a great morale booster. When troops from both nations are running, lifting, and pushing through a workout together, it reinforces the sense of unity and shared purpose. That’s what interoperability really looks like, on the ground, under pressure, and even in a PT circuit in the morning!”
But conducting the U.S. Army Fitness Test (AFT) in an austere field environment presented logistical challenges. That’s where U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Benjamin Heiner, a biomedical equipment specialist with the 987th Medical Detachment (Blood Support), got creative.
“We were pretty lucky that the Australians had bumper plates, barbells, and kettlebells in their gym equipment,” Heiner said. “We used a straight bar instead of the hex bar for the deadlift.”
“The hardest part was rigging a safe and effective substitute sled for the sprint-drag-carry,” he added. “The experience just wouldn't have been authentic without the drag part of the event. The Australians were super helpful and let me borrow some tow straps and burlap material. With a few knots dredged up from my combat engineer days and some 550 cord, I put together a surprisingly effective substitute that felt really close to our standard equipment.”
In addition to facilitating the AFT, Heiner wanted to introduce Australian and New Zealand troops to U.S. Physical Readiness Training. Teaching cadence-based warmups to a group unfamiliar with the movements posed another challenge.
With help from a couple Soldiers from the 987th, they demonstrated each drill before calling it out. “The Australians and New Zealanders were fast learners and followed the commands really well,” he said.
Heiner recalled some humorous feedback during the warmup session, “I overheard someone say, ‘Oh! That meant it was the last one? I wondered why he was doing that weird thing with his voice,’” he said, referencing the vocal inflection that signals the final repetition of a drill.
Feedback from the AFT itself was also memorable. “I think my favorite comment was, ‘everything was pretty normal until halfway through the drag, then bwagh! That thing is no joke!’” Heiner laughed.
Gane was equally impressed by the U.S. Army’s test. “It’s a more comprehensive assessment that covers multiple domains of fitness—strength, power, agility and endurance,” she said. “The deadlift and sprint-drag-carry components really stood out to me because they mimic real-world tasks under load. I can see how it’s more aligned with combat-focused readiness, which is something we’re evolving toward as well.”
The Australians introduced their Basic Fitness Assessment in return—a familiar format for U.S. Soldiers who remembered the Army’s previous test. The BFA consists of three events: two minutes of pushups, situps using an electronic cadence counter (hands on thighs, wrists moving past the knees for each repetition, no head contact on the descent), and a 2.4-kilometer run.
The situps proved to be the most challenging for Heiner. “Having to keep my hands in front made the situps way harder for me,” Heiner said. Afterwards he learned he should have kept his head tucked in to reduce neck fatigue. Others noted that long arms seemed to make the movement easier due to shorter range of motion.
Despite the differences in format, Heiner came away with a deep respect for his partners. “They’re some tough soldiers,” he said. “They showed real grit pushing through an event they’d never seen before.”
For Gane, the fitness collaboration was about more than just exercise. “One of the best parts of this exercise has been the opportunity to train with the U.S. Army,” she said. “PT has become more than just a way to maintain fitness—it’s been a tool for building relationships, breaking down cultural barriers and sharing professional knowledge.”
She added that from the very first joint session of sweating it out together, mutual respect and camaraderie were immediate. “We had some great laughs during warmups, and then straight into serious effort when it was time to push,” Gane said. “It was clear that, despite the differences in systems or training approaches, we’re all working toward the same goal: combat-ready, resilient soldiers.”
As the exercise continues, Gane believes the impact of joint PT will endure far beyond this rotation.
“Ultimately, I think joint PT has massive potential, not just during exercises like Talisman Sabre, but long-term,” she said. “It’s something we should continue to embed into future training and operational planning. There’s no better way to build trust and mutual respect than through hard work and shared challenges.”
Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States advancing a free and open Indo-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.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2025 14:31 |
| Story ID: | 544350 |
| Location: | QUEENSLAND, AU |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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