India participates in Australia's largest bilateral military exercise, Talisman Sabre, for first time
India's participation in the exercise was confirmed by Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, in a post on X.
'A significant step forward in deepening India-Australia cooperation on defence and security in the Indo-Pacific,' Green stated in the post on Wednesday.
According to a post by Talisman Sabre on X, a total of 19 nations will be joining the exercise, including the US and 16 other partner nations and two observer nations.
As per Australia's Department of Defence, Exercise Talisman Sabre, the country's largest bilateral military exercise, officially commenced on Sunday, following an opening ceremony on board HMAS Adelaide.
Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, joined US Deputy Commanding General of US Army Pacific, Lieutenant General Joel B Vowell, for the official opening at Garden Island in Sydney.
Talisman Sabre 2025 is the 11th iteration of the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australia.
As per the country's Department of Defence, over the next three weeks, as part of the exercise, more than 35,000 military personnel from Australia and partnering nations will deploy across Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Christmas Island, with activities conducted outside of Australia in Papua New Guinea for the first time.
In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK will join as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam will also attend as observers.
This year's exercise will consist of live-fire exercises and field training activities, incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.
It will also feature a range of new Australian Defence Force capabilities, including UH-60M Black Hawks and the Precision Strike Missile. (ANI)
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