Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 hosted a team of Royal Australian Navy intelligence leaders aboard the flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during Talisman Sabre 23 off the northwestern coast of Australia.
The intelligence integration coincided with the carrier strike group’s maritime exercises in the Indian Ocean with the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) and Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Perth (FFH 157).
The CSG’s participation in Talisman Sabre also included coordinated air exercises involving the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, as well as elements from the U.S. Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.
“Talisman Sabre gives us another opportunity to maintain and improve upon our ability to integrate seamlessly with our Australian allies to execute complex, multi-domain missions across a vast area,” said Rear Adm. Pat Hannifin, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5. “In addition to our advanced air and sea exercises, this event provides us valuable space to share best practices with specialists from the Australian intelligence community, building relationships and shared awareness that will pay dividends deep into the future.”
The embarked Australian intelligence team was led by Cmdr. Darryl Scott of the Royal Australian Navy Information Warfare Force.
“Interoperability is of great importance to our two Navies,” said Scott. “We’re getting an even better understanding of how many ways we can support each other. Our ability to share intelligence, share reporting and share data allows us to better prepare for future operations, either interlinked with American forces or actually embedded with a strike group like this.”
In addition to the Australian intelligence team, the USS Ronald Reagan and CSG staff hosted a group of Australian Sailors from the crew of HMAS Perth.
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group also includes the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) and USS Antietam (CG 54).
Talisman Sabre is taking place over multiple weeks from mid-July through early August, involving more than 30,000 Australian, U.S. and other international military personnel.
Conducted biennially since 2005, Talisman Sabre is the United States’ largest military exercise with Australia. This exercise demonstrates the strong U.S.-Australia alliance, which has sustained cooperation and trust throughout decades of operating, training, and exercising together.
Jointly sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Australian Defence Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command, this year’s exercise is the 10th iteration of Talisman Sabre, and incorporates U.S. Space Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and Australian Defence Forces, as well as other government agencies from each country. Participating nations include: Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Tonga, United Kingdom, and United States.