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Australia’s largest biennial military exercise, Exercise Talisman Sabre, will, for the first time, extend beyond Australian shores, with Papua New Guinea hosting key elements of Talisman Sabre 25.
Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones announced the overseas debut during a visit to Igam Barracks in Lae on 23 April. It is the 11th iteration – and the first in its 22‑year history – to be conducted, in part, outside Australia.
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“It’s indicative of the relationship we have with Papua New Guinea, and in this year of the 50th anniversary of independence for Papua New Guinea,” VADM Jones said.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is a biennial, multinational training activity led by the Australian Defence Force and the United States Military. Since its inception in 2005, it has focused on crisis‑action planning and contingency response, typically involving more than 30,000 personnel from nearly 20 nations across six training areas in northern and central Australia, the Coral Sea and, occasionally, overseas locales.
Talisman Sabre 25, scheduled for 13 July to 4 August 2025, will see joint activities by the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF), the ADF and US forces around Wewak, Madang and Lae, culminating in an official closing ceremony at Igam Barracks.
While in-country, VADM Jones met PNGDF Chief Rear Admiral Philip Polewara at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby. He also officially opened the newly refurbished National Surveillance Coordination Centre (NSCC) at HMPNGS Basilisk – a project delivered under the Australia‑PNG Defence Cooperation Program.
“The bedrock of maritime security is knowing and understanding what’s going on in your sovereign waters and the surrounding regions,” he said, praising the NSCC for bringing together PNGDF, fisheries, customs, police and other agencies to bolster maritime‑domain awareness.
The announcement came during Anzac commemorations. On Anzac Day, VADM Jones represented the ADF at the 110th anniversary memorial service at Bomana War Cemetery, honouring the Australian soldiers, sailors and aviators who fought – and fell – in New Guinea during World War II.
More than 3,300 Australians and 40 members of the Papuan Infantry Battalion rest in that hallowed ground. “When you stroll among the neat rows of graves, you realise the enormity of their sacrifice,” he reflected, paying tribute to the Papuan civilians whose courage and compassion aided countless wounded soldiers across the Kokoda Track.
