War foe in military exercise similar to China, documents suggest
The fictional enemy being used in Australia’s largest military training exercise scenario - Talisman Sabre - is based on China, secret documents suggest.
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Military training documents have been uncovered that suggest the fictional enemy being used in Australia’s largest training exercise scenario is based on China, despite denials by Australian Defence Force officials.
Over the next fortnight, more than 31,000 soldiers, marines, sailors, pilots and other personnel from 13 nations will undertake different missions throughout Queensland and some other parts of Australia as they strive to help the fictional nation of Belesia after it was invaded by the fictional Olvanian military.
The mock scenario is part of the 10th iteration of the Australian Defence Force’s largest biennial training activity with the US, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 (TS23) which kicked off on Saturday with a live fire activity at the Shoalwater Bay military training area outside of Rockhampton.
With 19 countries involved this year as either active participants or officially invited observers or visitors, the Australia-US bilaterally planned, multilaterally executed military training exercise is now believed to be the largest multinational training drill in the southern hemisphere, sparking the interest of nations like China, who have sent surveillance ships since at least 2017.
Although this year’s TS23 director, Australian Army Brigadier Damian Hill, has previously emphasised the exercise was not directed with any specific nation in mind – the same sentiment echoed by other directors in prior iterations – military training documents viewed by the Courier Mail indicate the profile of the fictional ‘People’s Republic of Olvana’ had been recently “updated” to reflect similarities in line with a communist China.
The documents also note Olvana and the “Federated States of Belesia” were in the Pacific region.
An ADF spokeswoman on Saturday declined to confirm or comment on whether or not the fictional opposing force was modelled after a communist nation.
But at the TS23 opening ceremony in Sydney on Friday, US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the major multination military training exercise sends a message to China “or any other country” that America’s allies were prepared to operate together in defence of national security interests.
“I think 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 together,” he said.
“And we are prepared to actually operate together in defence of our national security interests and in defence of the core values that we all share as Western and non-Western countries working together.”
Brigadier Hill told the Courier Mail on June 22 that Talisman Sabre’s activities had changed since its inception in 2005, when it was only with the US.
“There were certain activities we used to do with the United States early on in the Talisman Sabre series,” he said.
“A lot of that was around certification of key capabilities, but that’s not so much of a focus anymore as the geographic and strategic circumstances have changed.”
Brigadier Hill said the Defence Strategic Review, released in April, highlighted the increasing importance of Australia working together with and learning about the national and cultural priorities of neighbouring countries in the broader Indo-Pacific region, for both humanitarian and other purposes.
He said the Indo Pacific environment, where Australia also has significant trading routes, was starting to feel the effects of “climate induced issues as well as tensions occurring in east and southeast China Sea.”
“More than ever we need to communicate with each other,” he said.
“The strategic environmental geography doesn’t change but our relationship to the geography does.”
The Canberra-based officer said Talisman Sabre also helped the ADF train to help in natural disasters or other times of crisis overseas, such as when a volcano erupted in Tonga in January 2022.
“With Talisman Sabre, we work out how we can ensure interoperability with other nations so we already have the ability to work seamlessly together in times of need,” he said.
Brigadier Hill in June said he anticipated at least one surveillance ship from China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) would head to Australia to spy on TS23, as the Chinese have sent one or two ships for the past three iterations.
Australian Army Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said a Chinese spy ship had been contacted in the Coral Sea off Australia’s northeast coast on Thursday and was expected to move into the exercise area.
“They’ve done this for a number of years. We’re well prepared for it,” he said.
But a report in China’s The Global Times on the weekend quoted Chen Hong from East China Normal University saying the surveillance ship’s location off the east coast of Australia was not of out of the ordinary and rebuked claims the move was “aggressive”.
“Such claims are baseless and unfounded, and ... the US and Australia should respect the right of other countries to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international seas and airspace,” Ms Hong said, according to the online article.
Brigadier Hill said he understood China’s interest in TS23.
“We undertake complex activities with lots of partner nations,” he said.
“One of the strengths of western democracies is our ability to work together even though we have significant cultural differences across the nations.
“Not many countries, including China and Russia, have the ability to bring 19 countries together and to conduct complex military activities.”
Although not flagged as a direct military threat to Australia, the Defence Strategic Review indicated China’s claim of sovereignty over the South China Sea threatened “the global rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific in a way that adversely impacts Australia’s national interests”.
But a ship snooping on the imaginary war games off is not of concern.
More than 22 ships from six different nations will also take part in TS23 along with different types of military aircraft.
The training will also include large scale logistics, multi-domain firepower demonstrations, land combat, amphibious landings and air operations.
The mock war games are scheduled to take place between now and August 4, primarily throughout Queensland but also in parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.
The “high end” war fighting scenarios are mostly conducted throughout the Shoalwater Bay training area in Byfield, about 80km north of Rockhampton in Central Queensland and the Townsville Field Training Area, about 60km southwest of Townsville in Far North Queensland.
This year there are also components in Weipa, Norfolk Island and adjacent maritime and airspace areas of the Coral Sea.
Nations participating in TS23 year include Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, France, the UK, Canada and Germany.
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