US, RAN combined fleet prepares for battle against ‘Kamaria’

Tricky bastards, those Kamarians. You’ve got to watch them.

Exercise TALISMAN SABER fleet prepares for battle

Ship’s company from Royal Australian Navy Anzac Class frigate HMAS Perth keep watch from the gun directional platform during an air defence exercise held during Exercise TALISMAN SABER 2013.

Following aggression by the fictional island nation ‘Kamaria’, Australia and the United States have been called upon to form a combined force to restore peace and security to the region.

Now, a large and highly capable Australian and US Navy fleet is amassing in the Coral Sea to prepare for action against the mythical ‘Kamarians’.

This fictional scenario provides the backdrop for Exercise TALISMAN SABER 2013, a bilateral Australian/US exercise aimed at improving combat readiness and the ability of US and Australian forces to operate together.

As the fictional political scenario unfolds, warships from the Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy’s 7th fleet are gathering together for an initial period of force integration training, designed to get the two navies used to working together before engaging in higher level ‘free-play’ combat exercises.

Training so far has included anti-submarine and anti-air warfare exercises, underway replenishments and coordinated manoeuvres involving multiple ships steaming in formation.

Among the fleet is the Upgraded Anzac Class frigate HMAS Perth, sporting its recently-installed anti-ship missile defences.

Attacks by Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornets have tested the ship’s upgraded sensors and combat system while members of Perth’s 5-inch gun crew have proven their skills in live firing exercises against towed airborne targets.

Perth’s bridge and operations room teams have been put through their paces working in close company with US Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyers USS Preble and USS Chung Hoon and Ticonderoga Class cruiser USS Antietam and Australian guided missile frigate HMAS Sydney.

Other members of the ship’s company have participated in several fire fighting and damage control exercises.

HMAS Perth Commanding Officer, Captain Lee Goddard said this initial phase of the exercise training was invaluable, as it set the scene for the next stage of the combined training.

“This initial force integration training aims to bring together a large number of ships that will be working together during the exercise so they can become an effective combined fighting force.

“It gives us the opportunity to establish command and control relationships, refine operating procedures and learn how we can best use the capabilities each ship brings to the task force.

“Once this solid foundation is established, we can safely move into higher level training in a free-play exercise environment where we respond to a rapidly unfolding exercise scenario,” Captain Goddard said.

Perth is participating in exercise TALISMAN SABER alongside other Royal Australian Navy vessels HMA Ships Choules, Sydney, Waller and Tarakan and helicopters from 816 and 808 Squadrons. Also involved in TALISMAN SABER is Spanish combat support ship ESPS Cantabria and ships from the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, including the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group and an expeditionary strike group led by Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.

Exercise TALISMAN SABER will run from 15 July – 5 August, with around 28,000 Australian and US personnel taking part in the 21-day exercise being held in the Coral Sea and in military training areas in central and northern Queensland.

Supporting activities are also underway in the waters of the Timor and Arafura Seas, and throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Imagery is available on the Australian Defence Image Library at http://images.defence.gov.au/TS13-023.

PHOTEX: HMAS Sirius conducts replenishment at sea with USS Bonhomme Richard

130718-N-VA915-124 CORAL SEA (July 18, 2013) The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the Australian Navy replenishment tanker HMAS Sirius (O 266). Bonhomme Richard is the flagship for the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and is participating in the biennial exercise Talisman Saber 2013 in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Jerome D. Johnson/Released)

US and Australian forces collaborate in Talisman Sabre 13

TS 13 continues with an air defence exercise.

HMAS Sydney (FFG 03) is an Adelaide class frigate (based on the US Navy Oliver Hazard Perry class) and is nearing the end of her operational life. She will be replaced with a new HMAS Sydney (the fifth so-named ship) a Hobart class destroyer in 2017, providing the RAN with an enhanced air-warfare capability.

U.S., Australian Forces Collaborate on Air Defense

CORAL SEA (NNS) — The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group, Destroyer Squadron 15 (DESRON 15) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) collaborate in an air defense exercise (ADEX) in support of exercise Talisman Saber 2013 (TS 13).

ADEXs provide combined training and validation for maritime and air operations and flex combined staffs in crisis action planning for contingency operations and humanitarian missions.

“We’re integrating the Australian forces into our air defense system to build a combined force for our nation and our allies,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rene “Sleepy” Cornejo, air warfare commander of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) and air missile test commander for Commander, Task Force 70 (CTF 70). “We use the air defense to protect the carrier strike group to include the air wing, which also provides defense for our surface assets.”

TS 13 is a biennial training exercise aimed at improving ADF and U.S. combat readiness and interoperability as a Combined Joint Task Force.

“The exercise allows U.S. and Australia air defense assets to execute a pre-planned response to a hostile threat,” said Lt. Bill Webb, George Washington’s tactical actions officer. “One scenario we conduct is to have our aircraft act as enemy combatants. We then intercept them using our other aircraft, ships, and Australian forces. Integrating our forces definitely makes us stronger.”

The alliance between the two nations provides ADF with access to technology and defenses that increases the capacity and strength of its forces.

“We integrated HMAS Sydney (FFG 03) this year into the strike group and for today’s exercise, we had the Royal Australian Air Force solely providing assets,” said Cornejo. “Prior to integrating Sydney, we conducted classroom training. Once we got underway, we activated Sydney as the alternate air missile defense commander. Now we’re finally conducting TS 13 and testing each other’s air and weapons capability.”

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its partners and allies in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75472

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2013

Exercise Talisman Sabre is a biennial joint Australian and United States military exercise. The inaugural exercise took place in 2005 and exercised have continued biennially, focusing on “regional contingencies” and the War on Terrorism.

Exercise Talisman Saber 2013 begins

The USS Blue Ridge arrives at Sydney Harbour for a port visit prior to Exercise Talisman Saber 2013.

More than 28,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and women will be taking to the sea, land and sky in northern Australia as part of Exercise Talisman Saber 2013.Talisman Saber is a biennial training activity jointly sponsored by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Operations Command and the US Pacific Command to train the United States 7th Fleet and Australian Deployable Joint Headquarters staffs as a designated Combined Task Force.

Australian Talisman Saber 2013 spokesman Brigadier Bob Brown, said the training activity would see US and Australian forces mobilise to react to a fictional scenario.

“The scenario will be a peace enforcement mission, that sets the conditions for the task force to hand over to a United Nations peacekeeping force,” Brigadier Brown said.

“The forces will operate in military training areas in central and south-east Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Coral, Timor and Arafura seas. Shoalwater Bay Training Area will be used predominantly, with a large staging area at Defence Base Rockhampton.

“This year Talisman Saber sees further practice and progression of Defence’s emerging amphibious capability. The exercise will be the third block of training for the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment’s Amphibious Ready Element Landing Force.

“Talisman Saber is a unique and invaluable opportunity to exercise combined and joint Defence capability between Australia and the US.

“As with the previous Talisman Saber exercises, this activity is a major undertaking reflecting the Australian and US alliance and the strength of the military-to-military relationship,” Brigadier Brown said.

Approximately 21,000 US and 7000 Australian Defence Force personnel will be involved in the exercise, along with other Australian Government agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, AusAID, Australian Federal Police, and Australian Civil-Military Centre.

The ADF has conducted a full environmental impact assessment on the Shoalwater Bay region and strong measures have been put in place for participants to respect and protect the marine environment.

Talisman Saber 2013 runs from 15 July until 6 August 2013.

http://www.defence.gov.au/defencenews/stories/2013/jul/0715.htm