FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – The 8th Theater Sustainment Command hosted a weeklong sustainment concept development conference for Talisman Sabre 2025, Sept. 16, with planners from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the Australian Defence Force.
The purpose of the conference was to focus on planning sustainment activities needed to support all units participating in TS25, said Maj. Gen. Gavin Gardner, 8th TSC’s commanding general.
Talisman Sabre is an Operation Pathways biannual military exercise between the U.S. and ADF, with multinational participation, aimed at enhancing collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns.
“Talisman Sabre has gone from being a bilateral exercise between the Australians and the United States to a great, unbelievable multilateral exercise, but at the end of the day, it’s still ADF-led, U.S. enabled,” said Gardner.
The sustainment conference is the first in a series of touchpoints between the two nations.
“Our goal at the sustainment conference is clear: to gather all necessary information so that, as sustainers, we can best support the warfighter,” said Capt. Keyondria Massey, the 8th TSC’s plans officer for distribution integration, branch support operations. “By the main and final planning conferences, we can level out all of the details about sustainment, keeping us focused on our objectives.”
Over the last few iterations, Talisman Sabre has evolved significantly, transitioning from a bilateral exercise between the Australians and the United States to a multinational exercise as well as growing in its scope and impact.
“Our mission is to maintain combat power, which falls on the noncommissioned officer corps,” said Gardner. “I expect each of you to uphold this duty by anticipating a combined effort across ranks, services, and nations to ensure our collective combat power is sustained.”
Talisman Sabre will include land, sea, and air drills from the joint services of both the U.S. military and ADF, requiring a lengthy planning process for sustained logistics.
“We ask the Australians to provide the necessary information to determine the strategic logistics, and we will return the demands to DLA (Defense Logistics Agency),” said Gardner.
Following the concept development conference held this week, planners will refine their strategies further in preparation for the Talisman Sabre initial planning conference scheduled for October in Australia. All other participating nations will receive invitations to begin multinational planning during this conference.
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