Townsville troops set for action
Rachel Riley
TOWNSVILLE troops will be among 32,000 who will begin descending on Central Queensland for one of the Australian Army’s major international training events.
The Talisman Sabre series of exercises is a major Australian and United States military training exercise focused on the planning and conduct of mid- intensity “high end” warfighting.
This will be the seventh time the exercise has been conducted and will involve more than 30,000 Australian and US defence personnel.
TS17 will incorporate force preparation activities, Special Forces activities, amphibious landings, parachuting, land force manoeuvre, urban operations, air operations, maritime operations and the co- ordinated firing of live ammunition and explosive ordnance from small arms, artillery, naval vessels and aircraft.
Townsville troops will be officially inspected and farewelled by 3rd Brigade Commander Brigadier Chris Field on Tuesday.
The Director General of Training and Doctrine for Army, Brigadier Mick Ryan, said the exercise was the Australian Army’s “pinnacle event”.
“Safety is always the highest priority and we take very seriously our commitment to looking after our people and safety is integral to any training activity,” he said.
“Whenever any incidents occur, we learn from them and improve our capacity for training outcomes.”
As Townsville’s 3rd Brigade prepares to become the nation’s Ready Battle Group as of July 1, Brig Ryan said the North’s soldiers were in “good shape” for the exercise and ahead of future deployments.
“I think there’s no doubt 3rd Brigade is a world class combat formation, is superbly led and is well equipped,” he said.
“We continue to hone our skills for potential future operations.
“Our people are given the best opportunity to succeed and hone their capabilities.”
The majority of the field training exercise activities will take place in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, near Rockhampton. Field activities will also occur in the Mount Bundy Training Area, south of Darwin.
Personnel and assets will also operate from Australia in Darwin, Townsville, Brisbane and Canberra, and from the United States in Hawaii, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado and Washington.