RAAF Base Amberley is taking a central role in this year’s Exercise Talisman Sabre.
It is the biggest air deployment in the Games 20 year history with the most aircraft including the Globemaster C-17 and FA-18F Super hornets.
More than 40,000 personnel and 470 aircraft from around 19 countries will continue to participate in the war games until August 4.
RAAF Base Amberley Group Captain Arran Moore said that the Base had been a major point of entry into Australia to the participating countries.
“Just about all the countries have come into Australia through Amberley but Fijian, Papua New Guinean, American, Canadian and British aviators have been working out of RAAF Base Amberley and getting embedded with the Air Force out here,” he said.
The Group Captain also mentioned that all personnel from the Base have been participating in the exercise in some way, shape or form this year.
“A lot of the F/18s from Amberley have gone up to the Northern Territory to do some flying for the exercise up there and the KC-30s and the refuellers have also gone up to the Top End,” he said.
“We have been really doing a lot of air mobility and cargo moving with the C-17s and the C-27s from Amberley all over Australia for the exercise” Captain Moore said.
“And then all elements of the Base have been operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week”.
“We are seeing upward of 800 people a meal on the Base at the moment — it’s an amazing effort,” Captain Moore said.
Countries involved in the games include United States, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Tonga.
Malaysia and Vietnam also attended as observers.
Video: The United States Air Force C-17A at RAAF Base Amberley. ADF. Supplied.
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES
Canada is among one of the 19 countries deployed to operation ‘Talisman Sabre’ this year.
They have sent 600 personnel and brought in four aircraft for the massive training exercise.
These include two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, a CC-177 or C-17 Globemaster III Cargo plane and a CC-144 Challenger jet carrying a medical evacuation team.
Royal Canadian Air Force Inter-Task Commander Lieutenant-Colonel Cole McGregor said that despite being familiar with working over a large area such as in Australia, it was one that they didn’t want to underestimate.
“Canada is a big country but nonetheless it presents a massive challenge for an exercise of this scale.”
“The four assets that we’ve sent, which are all air mobility assets, are particularly useful in that sort of environment to provide a strategic and tactical airlift.”
“Geography is certainly a challenge but it’s one that is well suited to these assets,” he said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Cole McGregor said that they had two major aims they wanted to achieve during the operation.
“One is interoperability and how they get down and work together in a way that is efficient and effective”.
“The other main aim is for the Royal Canadian Airforce to demonstrate a commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and demonstrate that commitment to our friends and allies in the region,’ he said.
“Using this opportunity with this exercise has been presented to test our tactics and capabilities alongside those partners and learn from one another,” Lieutenant-Colonel Cole McGregor said.
This year’s exercise Talisman Sabre wraps up on August 4 with the Australian Defence Force warning that there will be increased Defence vehicles on the roads over the period.
The Defence Force will take every precaution to minimise impact to local communities and will avoid high traffic routes and school zones where possible.
Navy and Army personnel also participated in the exercise in the South-East, Central and North Queensland regions.
