Two US Navy ships and two Japanese warships have arrived in Brisbane ahead of Talisman Sabre
The first of more than 20 military ships expected to visit Brisbane in the next few weeks have arrived in the lead-up to Australia’s largest joint-military training exercise.
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THE FIRST of more than 20 military ships expected to visit Brisbane from at least five foreign nations in the next few weeks have arrived in the lead up to Australia’s largest joint-military training exercise.
The San Antonio-class transport dock USS Green Bay and the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland arrived into the Port of Brisbane Tuesday carrying a combined approximately 2000 sailors and marines.
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They arrived just a day after the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Hyuga-class helicopter carrier JS Ise and the amphibious transport dock ship JS Kunisaki, docked at the port and the same day the group’s flagship USS Wasp stopped in Sydney.
The vessels are among the first of more than 20 military ships expected to arrive in Brisbane for Talisman Sabre from now through to July.
An Australian Department of Defence spokeswoman said it will be one of the largest gatherings of military ships to visit Brisbane for a single exercise in more than 30 years, and will also include visits from New Zealand and Canadian vessels, as well as Royal Australian Navy ships.
“The ships will be calling into Brisbane at various times on their way to, or returning from, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 which is taking place in the Shoalwater Bay Training area near Rockhampton,” she said.
Up to 25,000 military personnel will converge on the Sunshine state for the biennial training activity between now and August with the peak of the exercise being held from July 11 to August 24 in the Shoalwater Bay area.
Exercise Talisman Sabre is designed for the Australian and American militaries to practice combat readiness and interoperability between the two nations, though it is the third time the Japanese military have participated.
Peta Berry, 46, lives near the port and said she was surprised to see a Japanese warship arrive.
“All of a sudden they’re standing on the deck, saluting the flag,” she said.
“When they lowered the flag, the Japanese national anthem blasted out, followed by the Australian anthem.
“It was a really lovely display and very thoughtful.”
The recently arrived US ships, based in Sasebo, Japan and are part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and carry hundreds of Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, described as a “premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The Green Bay has about 1200 servicemen and women on board, while the Ashland can carry more than 800 Marines and sailors.
In a release by the Amphibious Squadron 11 on the US 7th Fleet web site, Commanding officer of the USS Green Bay, Captain Thomas E. Schultz, said the ship’s crew was “ecstatic” to return to Australia.
“It’s great to be back in Brisbane,” he said.
“The crew is ecstatic to have this opportunity to come back to Australia again after having visited Cairns this past November and Brisbane in June of 2017.
“We really appreciate the warm welcome we receive when we visit, and we’re looking forward to a little rest and relaxation, enjoying everything Brisbane has to offer,” he said.
Commanding officer of the Ashland, Patrick German, said the crew was excited to spend a few days on leave.
“Fortunately, our schedule has afforded the crew an opportunity to spend a few days in Brisbane,” he said in the release.
“The crew is excited to participate in the many opportunities to explore Australia.”
The USS Ashland was involved with the rescue of two American women and their dogs after being lost at sea for months in 2017 while trying to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti.
The ship picked them up after a Taiwanese boat spotted them about 1500km southeast of Japan and alerted the US Coast Guard.
During Talisman Sabre in August 2017, three US Marines died after their MV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Shoalwater Bay as it prepared to land on the USS Green Bay.
It is unclear how long the berthed US and Japanese ships will remain in Brisbane, but it is understood the JS Kunisaki, which can carry about 330 personnel, has already departed.
The ships are not open to the public.
Talisman Sabre Director Commodore Allison Norris said the exercise also included personnel from the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.
“While the exercise focuses on mid-intensity high-end warfighting, each one grows based on previous iterations, increased interoperability requirements and new capabilities in both US and Australian forces,” she said.
“This year, now the eighth in the series, the Australia Defence Force contribution will focus on all aspects of warfare with particular emphasis on amphibious operations supported by enablers from all services.”
“It will allow us to test how we work with the United States and other participants in complex warfighting scenarios, while introducing new technologies and capabilities.”
The bulk of the mock fighting will occur at the Australian Defence Force Training Area at Shoalwater Bay in Central Queensland but will extend as north to Townsville and as far south as the Evans Head Air Weapons Range in northern NSW.
Other areas will include Stanage Bay, Bundaberg, the Mackay and Whitsunday regions as well as areas over the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian Army has posted a notice on their Facebook page to let the public know large convoys of military vehicles will be travelling across the country to Rockhampton and the Shoalwater Bay training area from now through to August.
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