Defence Force confirms foreign troops coming to do military exercises in Australia
International forces participating in Australia’s largest bilateral training activity with the United States have begun to arrive.
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Australia might be struggling to bring citizens home but Covid is not stopping international troops coming for military exercises.
Defence today formally confirmed international forces participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest bilateral training activity with the United States, will arrive from this month.
Participating foreign military personnel from the United States, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom will undertake 14-days mandatory quarantine in approved Defence managed facilities.
France, India and Indonesia will also participate as observer nations but how many personnel they are sending is not known.
Defence confirmed the final go ahead was given by state and territory authorities including health officers and local councils with the exercise to carry detailed COVIDSafe plans to mitigate the risk from the pandemic crisis.
In April, two US marines who arrived in Australia returned positive Covid-19 tests during their mandatory quarantine in Darwin, they were asymptomatic and transferred to the NT Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs.
Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton said the scale of this year’s exercise would be reduced by half due to Covid-19, with around 17,000 personnel expected to participate.
“Around 1,800 foreign military personnel will arrive in Australia for this year’s exercise … the ADF, together with our United States and visiting partner nations, are committed to delivering a safe exercise, not just for the personnel involved but the community as well,” Lieutenant General Bilton said.
“The exercise is fundamental to our alliance with the United States and critical to maintaining ADF combat readiness.”
He added: “Talisman Sabre would not be possible without the co-operation and ongoing support of the local community, councils, state authorities including Chief Health Officers and traditional owners.”
Exercises are planned across Queensland including in Townsville, Charters Towers, Bundaberg, Shoalwater Bay, Lindeman Island, Mackay, Ingham, RAAF Base Scherger in Mission River, Cowley Beach and Evans Head in NSW.
With agreement from relevant state and territory authorities, the majority of international forces will quarantine in either Bladin Village in the Northern Territory or ADF managed hotels in Queensland. A small number will also quarantine in ADF managed hotels in NSW.
Defence stressed no military member entering Australia would take the place of an Australian seeking to return from overseas and all international arrivals would have to comply with mandatory quarantine laws including presenting a negative test before departure to Australia, 14-days quarantine on arrival and daily health checks.
The biennial joint Aust-US Talisman Sabre, to formally begin in July, began in 2005 with the 2019 exercise attracting 34,000 personnel. China sent an electronic surveillance equipped warship to monitor the games in that year as well as in 2017.
Originally published as Defence Force confirms foreign troops coming to do military exercises in Australia
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