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Observer
a day ago
- Business
- Observer
Australia fires first HIMARS rocket
ROCKHAMPTON, Australia: Australia's army fired a truck-mounted long range rocket system that has become a priority for US allies in the Indo-Pacific for the first time on Monday, alongside US and Singapore forces firing the same system in joint war games. Armoured trucks with HIMARS — High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems that can reach 400 km (250 miles) — are in high demand in the Ukraine conflict and are also being acquired by US allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, which is reshaping its forces to respond to China's military build-up. On the first day of Australia's largest war games, "Talisman Sabre", the US, Australia, Japan, France, South Korea and Singapore held a live-fire exercise in northern Queensland involving US F-35B fighter jets and land-based long-range strike rockets and missiles. Up to 40,000 troops from 19 nations are taking part in Talisman Sabre, across thousands of kilometres from Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island to the Coral Sea on Australia's east coast. Australian Army Brigadier Nick Wilson, director general of the combined live-fire exercise, said it was the first time Australia, Singapore and the United States had fired HIMARS together, and the first firing by Australia on home soil. "HIMARS will be utilised in conjunction with a number of other weapon platforms ... to ensure we have a strategy of denial for security, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," he told reporters on Monday. The joint exercise at Shoalwater Bay in north Queensland was watched by Australian Governor General Sam Mostyn and Chief of Defence Admiral David Johnston. Australia has previously said army regiments with HIMARS can be transported to neighbouring island states with defence agreements to protect its northern approaches in a conflict. Lockheed Martin delivered the first two of 42 HIMARS launcher vehicles ordered by Australia in April. Australia has said it will spend A$74 billion ($49 billion) on missiles over the next decade, including a new domestic manufacturing capability. US Army Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, deputy commanding general for the Pacific, said on Sunday the US needed to work with partners in the Indo-Pacific, and that Talisman Sabre was "a deterrent mechanism because our ultimate goal is no war". — Reuters
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Australia fires first HIMARS long-range rocket in war game with US
ROCKHAMPTON, Australia, July 14 (Reuters) - Australia's army fired a truck-mounted long range rocket system that has become a priority for U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific for the first time on Monday, alongside U.S. and Singapore forces firing the same system in joint war games. Armoured trucks with HIMARS - High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems that can reach 400 km (250 miles) - are in high demand in the Ukraine conflict and are also being acquired by U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, which is reshaping its forces to respond to China's military build-up. On the first day of Australia's largest war games, "Talisman Sabre", the U.S., Australia, Japan, France, South Korea and Singapore held a live-fire exercise in northern Queensland involving U.S. F-35B fighter jets and land-based long-range strike rockets and missiles. Up to 40,000 troops from 19 nations are taking part in Talisman Sabre, across thousands of kilometres from Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island to the Coral Sea on Australia's east coast. Australian Army Brigadier Nick Wilson, director general of the combined live-fire exercise, said it was the first time Australia, Singapore and the United States had fired HIMARS together, and the first firing by Australia on home soil. "HIMARS will be utilised in conjunction with a number of other weapon platforms ... to ensure we have a strategy of denial for security, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," he told reporters on Monday. The joint exercise at Shoalwater Bay in north Queensland was watched by Australian Governor General Sam Mostyn and Chief of Defence Admiral David Johnston. Australia has previously said army regiments with HIMARS can be transported to neighbouring island states with defence agreements to protect its northern approaches in a conflict. Lockheed Martin delivered the first two of 42 HIMARS launcher vehicles ordered by Australia in April. Australia has said it will spend A$74 billion ($49 billion) on missiles over the next decade, including a new domestic manufacturing capability. U.S. Army Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, deputy commanding general for the Pacific, said on Sunday the U.S. needed to work with partners in the Indo-Pacific, and that Talisman Sabre was "a deterrent mechanism because our ultimate goal is no war".
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Australia fires first Himars long-range rocket in war game with US
Australia's army fired a truck-mounted long range rocket system that has become a priority for US allies in the Indo-Pacific for the first time on Monday, alongside U.S. and Singapore forces firing the same system in joint war games. Armoured trucks with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that can reach 400km are in high demand in the Ukraine conflict and are also being acquired by US allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, which is reshaping its forces to respond to China's military build-up. On the first day of Australia's largest war games, "Talisman Sabre", the US, Australia, Japan, France, South Korea and Singapore held a live-fire exercise in northern Queensland involving US F-35B fighter jets and land-based long-range strike rockets and missiles. Up to 40,000 troops from 19 nations are taking part in Talisman Sabre, across thousands of kilometres from Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island to the Coral Sea on Australia's east coast. Australian Army Brig Nick Wilson, director-general of the combined live-fire exercise, said it was the first time Australia, Singapore and the US had fired HIMARS together, and the first firing by Australia on home soil.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Australia hosts largest-ever military exercise with 19 nations, including Canada, likely to draw attention of Chinese spy ships
South Korean soldiers fire from a K1 tank during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, Australia's largest-ever war fighting drills at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, near Rockhampton, Australia, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) MELBOURNE, Australia — The largest-ever war-fighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, are underway and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Australia launched missiles from its M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS, on Monday during live-fire exercises at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, a 4,500 square kilometre (1,700 square mile) Outback expanse in Queensland state. The HIMARS launchers were recently bought from the United States. 'Today was the first time the Australian Army has live-fired our long-range, multi-domain platforms being the HIMARS, so it is a remarkable day,' Brig. Nick Wilson told reporters. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia. This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia's defense department said. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The exercise will also take place in Papua New Guinea, Australia's nearest neighbor. It is the first time Talisman Sabre activities have been held outside Australia. Chinese surveillance ships have monitored naval exercises off the Australian coast during the last four Talisman Sabre exercises and were expected to surveil the current exercise, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said. 'The Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017. It'd be very unusual for them not to observe it,' Conroy said. 'We'll adjust accordingly. We'll obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia, but we'll also adjust how we conduct those exercises,' Conroy added. Conroy said the Chinese were not yet shadowing ships as of Sunday. The exercise officially started on Sunday with a ceremony in Sydney attended by Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific Lt. Gen. J.B. Vowell and Australia's Chief of Joint Operations Vice-Adm. Justin Jones. The exercise, showcasing Australia's defense alliance with the United States, started a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to hold his fourth face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday. Albanese said Chinese surveillance of Talisman Sabre would not be an issue raised with Xi. 'That would be nothing unusual. That has happened in the past and I'll continue to assert Australia's national interest, as I do,' Albanese told reporters in Shanghai Monday. Albanese also noted that while he had visited the United States as prime minister five times, he had only been to China twice. The Australian leader has been criticized at home for failing to secure a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. 'I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations,' Albanese said. Rod McGuirk, The Associated Press
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Australia fires first Himars rocket in war game with US
Australia says it will spend A$74 billion on missiles over the next decade. (EPA Images pic) ROCKHAMPTON : Australia's army fired a truck-mounted long-range rocket system that has become a priority for US allies in the Indo-Pacific for the first time today, alongside US and Singapore forces firing the same system in joint war games. Armoured trucks with Himars – high mobility artillery rocket systems that can reach 400km – are in high demand in the Ukraine conflict and are also being acquired by US allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, which is reshaping its forces to respond to China's military build-up. On the first day of Australia's largest war games, 'Talisman Sabre', the US, Australia, Japan, France, South Korea and Singapore held a live-fire exercise in northern Queensland involving US F-35B fighter jets and land-based long-range strike rockets and missiles. Up to 40,000 troops from 19 nations are taking part in Talisman Sabre, across thousands of kilometres from Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island to the Coral Sea on Australia's east coast. Australian army brigadier Nick Wilson, director-general of the combined live-fire exercise, said it was the first time Australia, Singapore and the US had fired Himars together, and the first firing by Australia on home soil. 'Himars will be utilised in conjunction with a number of other weapon platforms… to ensure we have a strategy of denial for security, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,' he told reporters today. The joint exercise at Shoalwater Bay in north Queensland was watched by Australian governor general Sam Mostyn and chief of defence admiral David Johnston. Australia has previously said army regiments with Himars can be transported to neighbouring island states with defence agreements to protect its northern approaches in a conflict. Lockheed Martin delivered the first two of 42 Himars launcher vehicles ordered by Australia in April. Australia has said it will spend A$74 billion on missiles over the next decade, including a new domestic manufacturing capability. US army lieutenant-general Joel Vowell, deputy commanding general for the Pacific, said yesterday the US needed to work with partners in the Indo-Pacific, and that Talisman Sabre was 'a deterrent mechanism because our ultimate goal is no war'.
