Tag Archives: Talisman Saber 2013
PHOTEX: USS George Washington in exercise Talisman Saber 2013
130726-N-TP877-050 CORAL SEA (July 26, 2013) An EA-18G Growler from the Shadowhawks of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 leads two Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornets and a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Dambusters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 195 in a left echelon flight formation over the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are participating in exercise Talisman Saber 2013, a biennial training event aimed at improving Australian Defense Force and U.S. combat readiness and interoperability as a combined joint task force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Benjamin K. Kittleson/Released)
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.
Australian minehunter to clear up US bombs dumped near Great Barrier Reef
An update to the PR disaster that resulted from USMC aircraft dropping of inert/unarmed ordnance near the Great Barrier Reef.
These will be removed by a mine hunter… possibly one tasked from the US 7th Fleet… assuming Congress doesn’t force their decommissioning… or one tasked by the Royal Australian Navy.
Report: Mine Hunter to Recover U.S. Bombs Dropped Near Great Barrier Reef
HMAS Diamantina sails into Rabaul Harbour in Papua New Guinea in 2011. Royal Australian Navy Photo
A mine hunting ship will be deployed to find four bombs dropped by two U.S. Marine AV-8B Harriers last week in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia, according to local press reports published on Tuesday.
The vessel would either come from U.S. 7th Fleet’s homeport in Japan or Australia’s Fleet Base East in Sydney, according to the report.
It is unclear is the mine ship will be a U.S. Navy Avenger class mine countermeasure ship or an Australian vessel.
Navy officials at the Pentagon did not have any additional details on the operation and could not confirm the report from the Perth Now news service.
“Dive teams have been sent to the area to try and locate the weapons, but Navy sources said it would require specialist underwater detection equipment to identify the bombs,” reported Perth Now.
The mine sweeper to find the two BDU-45 practice bombs and two unarmed GBU-12 Paveway II bombs.
“The Harriers had intended to drop the ordnance in Townshend Island Range but controllers reported the area was not clear of hazards. Due to low fuel and inability to land with the amount of ordnance they were carrying, the on scene commander determined it was necessary to designate an emergency jettison area for the ordnance,” according to a statement from U.S. 7th Fleet issued on July 20.
“The selected emergency jettison area was in a deep channel away from the reef to minimize the possibility of reef damage,” according to a statement from U.S.
“It is approximately 50 to 60 meters deep and does not pose a hazard to shipping or navigation.”
The Harriers were flying in support of the Talisman Saber 2013, a joint exercise conducted between the U.S. and Australia.
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)
Joint US-Australian combat logistics force supporting Talisman Saber 2013
This is a great story… except it would difficult to conduct a RAS with “light crusiers” HMAS Perth (D29) and HMAS Sydney (D48) because Perth was lost to Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942 and Sydney was lost to a German raider in 1941.
Do you think it’s possible that the whoever compiled this MSC press release simply copied the wrong Perth & Sydney data from Wikipedia? No… that could never happen… could it? {groan}
The current HMAS Perth and HMAS Sydney are frigates.
Combat Logistics Force Ships underway for Talisman Saber exercise
Story Number: NNS130720-06Release Date: 7/20/2013 7:11:00 PM
CORAL SEA (NNS) — Navy Combat Logistics Force ships USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) and USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) are steaming off the coast of northeastern Australia this week, providing vital logistics support to U.S. and Australian ships participating in Talisman Saber 2013.
Thousands of U.S. and Australian military forces took to the air, land, and sea in and around northeastern Australia for the two-week exercise. Operating as a Combined Joint Task Force, Talisman Saber 2013 focuses on combined operations, as well as responding to humanitarian emergencies or natural disasters. The exercise includes both live and computer-simulated scenarios.
CLF ships are shadowing vessels from the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group and USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, which will conduct bilateral training with ships from the Royal Australian Navy.
USNS Charles Drew conducted its first underway replenishment operation with Australian fleet replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius (O-266) July 18. CLF ships are also scheduled to resupply Royal Australian Navy light cruisers HMAS Perth (D-29) and HMAS Sydney (D-48).
CLF ships’ role in the exercise will conclude July 29.
Personnel from Singapore based Military Sealift Command Far East’s logistics directorate work closely with counterparts from Australia’s navy throughout the exercise. MSCFE’s Combat Logistics Force officers – who operate a centralized, one-stop shop for Navy combat logistics force ships – manage the delivery of commodities to both U.S. Navy and Australian ships at sea.
Jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and ADF headquarters Joint Operational Command, Talisman Saber 20l3 will incorporate U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, the ADF, as well as other government agencies from each country.
MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, U.S. Navy civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
Oops! USMC aircraft unload bombs near Great Barrier Reef
Please note:
- inert training bombs, not live munitions
- jettisoned, not dropped
- “not far from” rather than “on top of”
That being said, if you’re going to jettison anything with the word “bomb” in it from an American military aircraft then you should probably do it somewhere where the press, environmentalists, and conspiracy theorists won’t have ammunition (pun intended) to attack you.
U.S. military jettisons bombs near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is composed of more than 3,000 individual reefs interspersed with more than 600 topical islands.
(CNN) — Two U.S. military aircraft jettisoned four bombs not far from the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast last week, the U.S. Navy says.
The two Marine planes had to abandon the bombs Tuesday in the national park containing the natural wonder because they were running out of fuel and could not land with the amount of ordnance on board, the Navy said. The two Marine aircraft were launched from a Navy ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard.
Two of the projectiles were explosive bombs that were disarmed before they were dropped. They did not explode, the Navy said.
The other two were inert, or non-explosive bombs, the Navy said.
The pilots chose an area away from the reefs, which contain 400 types of coral. The area was also deep enough to prevent passing ships from running into the bombs, the Navy said.
The reef is home to 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 kinds of mollusks, according to the United Nations’ World Heritage Convention.
It is also a habitat for animals threatened by extinction and is protected as a World Heritage Site.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/21/world/asia/australia-reef-u-s-bombs
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.
PHOTEX: USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) underway during Exercise Talisman Saber
130718-N-TX154-154
CORAL SEA (July 18, 2013) The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) is underway during Talisman Saber 2013. Talisman Saber is a biennial training activity aimed at improving Australian and U.S. combat readiness and interoperability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Kelly/Released)
PHOTEX: USS Momsen firing MK45 gun during Talisman Saber 2013
CORAL SEA (July 17, 2013) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Momsen (DDG 92) fires its MK 45 5-inch lightweight gun during live gunnery exercise in support of Talisman Saber 2013. Talisman Saber 2013 is a biennial training activity aimed at improving Australian and U.S. combat readiness and interoperability. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gregory A. Harden II (Released) 130717-N-HI414-185
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