Townsville’s Army prepares to host foreign partners, receive new equipment and participate in Talisman Sabre in 2025

Army history will be made in 2025 with more countries than ever taking part in Ex. Talisman Sabre and 3rd Brigade receiving the first of its new equipment. Check out what the year has in store.

Soldiers from the 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery and 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment dismount from an MRH-90 Taipan during Exercise Chau Pha in Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland.

Militaries from across the world will arrive on Australia’s shores this year for the ‘Olympics of military exercises’, as Townsville’s defence personnel prepare for the biggest training year since World War Two.

The 3rd Brigade’s new commander, Brigadier Ben McLennan, said the focus of 2025 was to “prepare for war” in every possible way.

The focal point for that preparation will be the ‘Olympics of military exercises’, exercise Talisman Sabre, which will bring a record 19 countries to Australia’s shores, including the United Kingdom, America, Japan, Germany and the Philippines.

“Last time it was 13 (countries) and it was huge, it was the biggest one we had done up to that point,” Brigadier McLennan said.

“We’ll be doing it with our partners and allies to rehearse, to prepare and to enhance relationships and to demonstrate … that we’re committed to what our nation believes in, a rules based order, and we are prepared to defend it if need be.”

Brigadier Ben McLennan is the new Commanding Officer of 3rd Brigade. Picture: Evan Morgan

This year will pose its own unique challenges that will be unlike anything the brigade has undergone in the past, as the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) continues to take hold.

Soldiers this year will navigate major exercises and deployment while learning how to use their new equipment effectively in the field.

The 3rd Brigade, which has already started reaping the benefits of the DSR with the arrival of the American made M1A2 tanks, will also receive AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers, Redback infantry fighting vehicles, assault breacher vehicles and joint assault bridges throughout the year.

Townsville will be the only location in Australia to host the majority of this new equipment.

The 5th Aviation Regiment will also have the first of the Apache helicopters arrive closer to the end of the year as they relocate to Townsville from Darwin with the Army’s 1st Aviation Regiment.

“As an old Chief of air force used to say ‘change your platform, change the way you train, change the way you fight’, don’t just do things the way you’ve always done them,” Brigadier McLennan said.

“That’s going to be a really steep learning curve for us.”

An M1A2 Abrams Tank arrives at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville on 14 November 2024. *** Local Caption PHOTO: CPL Guy Sadler

The Brigadier described the beginning of the year – February to April – as their “pre-season”.

In February and March leadership positions such as section commanders, platoon commanders and officers will conduct training with their soldiers, preparing them for the year ahead.

April will bring with it the 110th anniversary of the Anzac Day landing in Gallipoli, which holds a special place for the 3rd Brigade as it was their soldiers who were first ashore on that early morning at Anzac Cove.

2025 also marks 80 years since the end of World War Two.

Brigadier McLennan said following the annual Dawn Service and Anzac Day parade, 3rd Brigade would host a “mini open-day” with military vehicles and personnel, to strengthen the connection with the veteran community and the public at the ceremonial event.

The start of the ‘season’ for the Army will kick off after Anzac Day, with the 3rd Brigade mounting with different countries, including Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and the Philippines, for a range of amphibious exercises.

“We will practice fighting at sea, fighting from the sea onto the land and fighting on the land,” Brigadier McLennan said.

German Army Paratroopers during a clearance of Line Creek Junction on Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

“We’re going to use that May, June period, when we’re working with the Combat Training Centre (CTC) to really start to learn how to use some of these new platforms and we’ll finish that with big live fire exercises,” he said.

The jewel in this year’s training crown, Talisman sabre, will begin after the amphibious exercises, which will conclude with a big community day as a “thank you” to the public.

“It’s largely the same activity but when you go to the gym you don’t ever do one bicep curl if you want to build muscle, you do the same exercise repeatedly,” Brigadier McLennan said.

“We’ll learn things from May and June and we’ll take that forward into July and we’ll practice it again.”

The back of the year will be a testing period, where the 3rd Brigade proves they can use the new vehicles and equipment “safely and effectively” within their units.

“(The brigade) has never had this task,” Brigadier McLennan said.

“Out of the DSR we’ve got this sort of focus force … we’ve got to be an armoured formation and the best armoured formation in the world, plus contribute 1RAR and other elements to the amphibious force.”

The Australian Defense Force (ADF) and Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) conducted Exercise Keris Woomera at Banongan Beach, East Java, Indonesia, November 13, 2024. The joint exercise is an amphibious landing exercise involving 2,000 military personnel from both countries, as well as amphibious ships, tanks, aircraft and helicopters. Picture: Agvi Firdaus

As his first year in the commander position, the former commander of CTC, said this is an equally exciting and daunting challenge.

“You’re only moving a boat forward when you feel the headwind on your face,” Brigadier McLennan said.

“I have a tremendous sense of confidence in the people that we’ve got.

“We’re going to throw some tough balls at people this year but I know they’re going to catch it and then they’re going to know which direction to run in, and that gives me a real sense of confidence.”

Other exercises on this year’s calendar will take soldiers to the United Kingdom for Exercise Kudu to train Ukrainian armed forces personnel, Alaska on a winter rotation, among other deployments to Japan, South Korea and Australia’s Pacific partners for bilateral training.

Originally published as Townsville’s Army prepares to host foreign partners, receive new equipment and participate in Talisman Sabre in 2025