Talisman Saber is a ‘realistic and challenging exercise that provides opportunities for the United States and Australia to prepare for regional and global security challenges’.
Speaking at the opening ceremony aboard the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at sea off the coast of eastern Australia, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of US Pacific Command, said the US is partnering in the exercise with Australian allies for ‘high-end warfighting scenarios’ for the seventh time.
About 33,000 American and Australian service members are taking part.
“Exercises like Talisman Saber are precisely where we really learn how to take advantage of cutting-edge technology to outpace our adversaries. It’s also a perfect place for our forces to operationalise a very important concept.
When I look at the Bonhomme Richard, I see endless possibilities for the future. After all, you could say that amphibious ships are the original multi-domain battle platforms operating from the air, from the sea and from the land. So I need this blue-green team to lead the way during this exercise.”
Exercise Talisman Saber 2017 is the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group’s final certification say the US Navy and it will also support efforts to put the ‘up-gunned expeditionary strike group’ concept into action.
The wasp class is pretty impressive, especially when you see it like that, stacked with helicopters and I assume harriers.
11 CV-22 and an MH-60 along. With a handful of harriers is what I could see