War games on massive scale

“ENEMY” forces are dug in and poised in the jungles of Northern Australia waiting for thousands of allied troops to storm ashore and drop from the skies for the nation’s biggest war game – Talisman Sabre 2015.

More than 30,000 soldiers, marines, sailors and flyers from Australia, the US, New Zealand and Japan will participate in the exercise scenario.

It involves “friendly” forces from combined Australia- US taskforces restoring representative government in two fictional countries called “Ligais” ( S h o a l w a t e r Bay near Rockhampton) and “Monmir” at Fog Bay west of Darwin.

Both “countries” are backed by a large and powerful ally known as “Kamaria”.

Exercise boss and commander of the US Seventh Fleet Vice- Admiral Robert Thomas said none of the nations in the exercise should be associated with any “real” country.

The Seventh Fleet is the biggest American naval force with 51 ships, 10 submarines, 170 aircraft and 40,000 personnel. That is more firepower than the entire Australian Defence Force.

When asked directly if China figured in any of the exercise planning his response was, “No”. He said the exercise focus was on int e r o p e r a b i l i t y between the forces involved.

While the exercise focus was a regional contingency, it would have a global application whether that was a humanitarian disaster or a war.

GETTY IMAGES Pictures: EAGLES LANDING: Paratroopers from the US 4/ 25th Infantry Division jump from a C- 17 Globemaster as part of exercise Talisman Sabre near Rockhampton. BELOW LEFT: An American paratrooper makes his way to a rally point.