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Australia and US rehearse long-range strike capabilities

July 22, 2023

The allies are flexing their military muscle in biennial war games that, for the first time, also involve German troops. The maneuvers, led by Australia and the US, are seen as a signal to China.

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Missiles take off with smoke trails behind them at a firing range in northern Australia
Australia is due to take delivery of its first HIMARS in 2025Image: ANDREW LEESON/AFP

Australia and the United States rehearsed precision missile strikes during war games on Saturday.

It comes as Australia overhauls its military strategy to focus on long-range firepower to prevent potential adversaries like China from getting too close.

Australian Army Major Tony Purdy said the American-made HIMARS missiles, used during the exercise, would "provide a significant capability boost" and much-needed "long-range precision."

The live-fire drills are part of the two-week-long Talisman Sabre joint military exercises.

Foreign troops in Australia for war games

Over the last decade, the biennial military exercise has broadened its scope to involve military partners and observers from numerous countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

More than 30,000 troops and participants from 13 countries will take part in the war games over the next two weeks.

In addition to Australia and the US, forces from Japan, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea, Tonga and Britain are participating in the military exercises.

"The most important message that China can take from this exercise and anything that our allies and partners do together is that we are extremely tied by the core values that exist amongst our many nations," US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said at the start of the exercises on Friday.

Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, Australia's chief of joint operations, told reporters a Chinese spy ship had been sighted off the northeastern coast of Australia while preparations for the military exercises were underway.

US Navy welcomes Australian-designed USS Canberra

Germany and Indonesia are among the countries participating for the first time in Talisman Sabre.

As part of the war games, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force launched a surface-to-ship missile off the east coast of Australia on Saturday.

Australia's Defence Department said the drill "marked the first time the JGSDF has tested the capability in Australia."

Also, the US Navy commissioned its first warship in a foreign port on Saturday.

The USS Canberra officially joined the US Navy's active fleet after it was commissioned at a ceremony at an Australian naval base on Sydney Harbour.

The USS Canberra passes the iconic Sydney Opera House as it arrives in Sydney Harbor
The United States commissioned a warship for the first time at a foreign portImage: Julie Ann Ripley/Planetpix/Zumapress/picture alliance

"Australians can be proud that this ship, designed in Western Australia by local industry and named after HMAS Canberra, is being commissioned here for the first time in the history of the United States Navy," Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

lo/dj (AFP, Reuters)