This year thirteen nations and every U.S. military service component including the U.S. Army participated in the tenth and largest iteration of exercise Talisman Sabre, the bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States.
As Indo-Pacific Command’s assigned Army operational command, America’s First Corps trains and deploys as part of a combined joint multinational task force to meet the needs of the region including fight and win if conflict arises.
From July 21 thru Aug. 4 Talisman Sabre 23 tested operational and tactical level multi-domain capability through live execution of tactical activities placed against the backdrop of a Command Post Exercise (CPX) that simulated high intensity, realistic conflict involving an opposing joint task force operating across an archipelagic island chain with a range of emerging war-fighting capabilities including precision fires, drones and cyber with the intent of the exercise meant to drive innovation, inform future force and technology development. To combat the opposing force, the alliance formed Combined Joint Task Force 660 led by America’s I Corps enabled by the 1 Marine Division, 1st Australian Division and a Navy Combined Task Force 763.
This iteration of the exercise brought numerous ‘firsts’ to the U.S. Army and Australian Defence Force. For example, he combined force conducted joint logistics endeavors, moving massive amounts of fuel and supplies from ocean transports to shore without the use of a fixed port while showcasing long-range indirect fires capabilities of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), fired on the continent for the first time with assistance from the Soldiers of the 17th Fires Field Artillery Brigade.
“To have a partner that we have such a tight relationship with come to the region and then demonstrate what these high-end capabilities can do in real time, that’s a key first,” says the Australian Army’s Brigadier Gregory Novak, the Deputy Commanding General of the Combined Joint Task Force 660, the joint headquarters for Talisman Sabre. Novak says that the purpose behind these exercises is not a proof of concept, but rather a proof of capability.
In addition to strengthening relationships and furthering interoperability, I Corps logistics units, such as the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command and 25th Division Support Battalion, supported the exercise with real-world sustainment including the transport of personnel, equipment, vehicles and all classes of supply while also working through scenario-based problem-sets in a contested environment.
Talisman Sabre 23 also made history with the first-ever live execution of joint refueling which involved sailors from Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 and active and reserve soldiers assigned to the Eighth Army, 475th Quartermaster Group and the 555th and 130th Engineer Brigade emplacing a three-mile-long fuel and water pipeline in Weipa, Australia.
“Those theater level logistics tools that we’ve displayed and exercised together through Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) and Joint Petroleum Over-the-Shore (JPOTS), they’re not just significant in that it’s the first time,” says Novak. “They’re significant in the fact that they’re another example of an exercise outcome we can readily operationalize.”
“We’ve proven that we can do something with a high level of readiness,” says Novak. The Indo-Pacific theater, the theater in which the Australian Defence Force and the Soldiers of America’s First Corps operate is characterized by it’s vast distances, says Novak. This is at the heart of the majority of challenges that the joint force sets out to solve.
CJTF 660 also leveraged this exercise to further test the interoperability of modern command and control (C2) systems such as Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE), the Mission Partner Environment and the Distributed Command and Control Nodes (DC2N) designed to enable C2, through rapidly deployable, scalable and highly integrated headquarters elements.
“One of the new things that we prioritized and have been working the past seven or eight months on is standing up a network with relations to Five Eyes alliance network between us and the 1st Australian Division down in Brisbane,” says Lt. Col. Chris Bartok, one of the senior officers of the Task Forces’ Combined Joint Network Operations and Security Center.
The establishment of a persistent network between First Corps and the 1st Combined Division was brainstormed during another exercise in the Pacific Pathways series hosted in Japan.
“We first met the current Non-Commissioned Officer in charge at Yama Sakura this past year where they were acting as observers,” says Bartok. “From that meeting we grew the idea to try and establish this network to increase our ability to collaborate between our units and make a more successful Talisman Sabre.”
The network will remain operational following Talisman Sabre 23, being maintained by both Australian Defence Force and U.S. Army Soldiers.
“As we continue to conduct exercises together… when we hit those exercises and training opportunities, we’re going to be at a much higher state of readiness to get right into it from the start rather than having that buildup period,” says Novak.
The network will provide an opportunity for the U.S. and Australian Soldiers to interact with each other regularly.
“We’ll be able to use that to conduct regular syncs and to continue testing and building out the capability for future exercises,” says Bartok. “The number of touch-points that we have with them is just going to increase as we move forward.”
For the Command Post Exercise (CPX) portion of Talisman Sabre, America’s First Corps, augmented by U.S. and Australian Sailors, Airmen, and Marines of the 1st Marine Division, acts as the 1st Combined Division’s higher element, the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF).
The mission of the CJTF is to providing support to the multinational troops on ground, enabling them to fight freely.
“They’ve mobilized most of their Army to participate and train in this exercise,” says U.S. Army Col. Barbina, First Corps senior operations officer, speaking of the Australian Defence Force’s 1st Combined Division, the active component of the Australian Army.
“This is the first time the Corps has partnered at this level, to have the Australian division as a subordinate element,” says Barbina.
The CJTF structure allows for expansion, anticipating further scaling of the joint force to include more U.S. or Australian Soldiers, or potentially other partner nations.
With the increase in scale comes new logistical and operational challenges for the staff of the CJTF to work through.
“Although the processes are the same, the echelons are different,” says Novak. “You can’t be learning this and doing things for the first time when it’s not an exercise,” says Novak.
Having systems and process in place to streamline staff operations provides commanders access to the CJTF’s war-fighting functions the speed necessary to impact operations on the ground.
“In the military we say, ‘intelligence drives operations’,” says Col. Craig Evans, the CJTF Intelligence Officer. “From the onset of an operations, intelligence really does set the stage for success for the maneuver forces.”
Evans has experienced first-hand the impact that good, or bad, intelligence can have. “I didn’t start my career as an intelligence officer,” says Evans. “My experience as a lieutenant was actually as one of those riflemen that was receiving information.”
“I’ve been at the tip of the spear where even if you didn’t get good intelligence, you still had to go forward for the mission,” says Evans.
Being able to successfully integrate with the Joint Task Force and establish an effective process for sharing information between multinational partners was a gratifying experience for Evans.
“I’ve had joint assignments before,” says Evans. “I’ve worked in bi-lateral and multinational formations. I think this exercise probably tips the scale in terms of the level of multi-national interaction that I’ve had in my career.”
“It was really impactful for me to see the coalition that was assembled of like-minded partners that are interested in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,” says Evans.
Over the past year, I Corps prioritized testing the latest war-fighting equipment and systems while also continuing to fortify relationships with allies and partners in the Indo- Pacific region through continuous forward presence and participation in war-fighting exercises such as Talisman Sabre.
Talisman Sabre 23 strengthened our collective commitment to promoting peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” said Lt. Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, Commanding General, U.S. Army I Corps. “This event is a testament to the bond between nations, not just the Australian and U.S. alliance, but also the eleven other participating countries. The vast scope and scale of this year’s exercise speaks to the shared understanding of maintaining a strong network of friends, partners and allies.”
“By integrating all branches of the military, and multiple domains, we ensure we are better able to meet the security challenges of our times.”
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