Huge amphibious assault in Great Barrier Reef

Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest combined biennial military exercise undertaken by the Australian Defence Force, will put about 18,000 Army, Navy and Air Force personnel to the test in the coming weeks.

Starting on July 5 and finishing on July 21, the exercise aims to improve combat training, readiness and interoperability by exposing participants to a wide spectrum of military capabilities and training experiences.

The series of amphibious exercises is the principal Australian and US military training activity and is focused on planning and conducting mid-intensity, high-end warfighting.

This year is the exercise’s sixth iteration and will involve 30,000 Australian and US participants. It will include military operations at sea, in the air and on land.

The exercise will take place simultaneously within the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland and Fog Bay/Bradshaw Field Training Area in the Northern Territory.

This year it will incorporate force preparation and special forces activities; amphibious landings, parachuting and land force manoeuvres; urban, air and  maritime operations; and the coordinated firing of live ammunition and explosive ordnance from small arms, artillery, naval vessels and aircraft.

The exercise provides an opportunity for personnel from both countries to train together and enhance their combined and joint warfighting skills.

A small number of personnel from the Japan Self Defense Force will embed with US units and the New Zealand Defence Force will exercise as part of the Australian contingent.

The scale and intensity of this year's concept will be similar to previous activities in the series.

This year’s focus, particularly for air and maritime operations, will be in the North Australian Range Complex, Timor and Arafura seas. Land activities will continue to be carried out in training areas in the East Australian Range Complex.