TS19 begins with all its guns blazing
Tess Ikonomou
with THE US Army and Marine Corps are carrying out live fire with their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre (TS19) at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.
This will be the eighth iteration of the exercise and consists of a field training exercise using force preparation (logistic) activities, amphibious landings, land force manoeuvre, urban operations, air operations, maritime operations and special forces activities.
TS19 is designed to practice planning and conducting Combined and Joint Task Force operations, and improve the combat readiness and interoperability between Australian and US forces.
Large crowds flocked to the Rockhampton Showgrounds on Saturday to take a look at the capabilities on display as part of the TS Open Day.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 director Commodore Allison Norris said the open day was about showcasing the wide range of capabilities the forces have, and to interact with the local community.
“It was a great day for families to come down and have a chat with the Australian Defence Force and United States forces, talk about the opportunities available for future careers and also to get an insight to what we do on a daily basis,” she said.
Activities are starting to ramp up for the exercise around Shoalwater Bay Training Area, which will feature a lot of amphibious landings.
“The ship will sail to participate in activities at sea to look at all aspects of maritime warfare. We also have aircraft flying out of number of air bases,” she said.
The demonstration included a US Marine Corps C-130 Aircraft, RAAF P-8 Poseidon Maritime Surveillance Aircraft, E7 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft, Australian Army S100, and the Royal Australian Navy Scan Eagle Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Amphibious Pre Landing Force Operators from the 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.
The bilateral exercise is a combined Australian and US training activity.