The largest Australian-led amphibious landing and offensive assault since the Second World War has taken place off the Central Queensland coast.
Soldiers from Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Japan and New Zealand disembarked from a Combined Expeditionary Strike Group and assaulted Langham Beach, near Stanage Bay before moving into an extended operational zone across the region.
Major General Roger Noble, Deputy Chief of Joint Operations for the Australian Defence Force said the amphibious assault was a key phase of Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest military exercise to take place in Australia.
“Through exercises like Talisman Sabre, we demonstrate the strength, viability, and endurance of the alliance between Australia and the United States as well as the varying levels of interoperability between our services,” Major General Noble said.
“Australia’s defence policy continues to be based on the three interconnected strategic interests of a secure, resilient Australia, with secure northern approaches and proximate sea lines of communications; a secure nearer region, encompassing maritime South East Asia and South Pacific; and a stable Indo-Pacific region and rules-based global order.
“To ensure these three interests, the Australian Defence Force must be capable of operating as a joint force across sea, land, and air domains, maintaining high-end capabilities to act decisively when required.
“The relationship between Australian and the United States is the cornerstone of our regional stability. Practicing interoperability builds our flexibility to achieve our shared aims.
“A credible amphibious capability significantly broadens the options for Australia and the United States to fulfil these requirements.”
Colonel Matt Sieber, Colonel Amphibious for Australia’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, from the United States Marine Corps, said the large-scale amphibious assault began three days ago as troops prepared for the assault and surveilled the enemy.
“Once the beachhead was secured, the amphibious assault group moved in, utilising amphibious assault vehicles, landing craft and simultaneous helicopter insertions into landing zones to come ashore,” Colonel Sieber said.
“The support from the Queensland communities has been invaluable throughout the course of the exercise.
“The Stanage Bay township has opened to us for this amphibious landing; we will be moving to the Bowen area later on in this exercise, and both communities have been hugely supportive.”
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 is the largest combined exercise undertaken by the Australian Defence Force, with participation of more than 34 000 personnel, 30 ships and 200 aircraft from across Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada.
Imagery is available at: https://images.defence.gov.au/s20191584
