More than 3,000 British forces are taking part in the largest military exercise Australia has ever hosted, as the UK’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG25) demonstrates Britain’s unwavering commitment to Indo-Pacific security.
The Carrier Strike Group is in Australia as part of Operation Highmast, the major global deployment that demonstrates Britain’s strategic commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
From British Gurkhas to US Marines to Australian Defence Force amphibious specialists, Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 serves as one of the deployment’s key moments, bringing together multinational forces to strengthen and test how nations can work together to safeguard global trade routes and maintain regional stability.
Spanning a vast area across Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales, the Australian-US led biennial exercise is bigger than ever, involving over 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations – making Talisman Sabre the largest exercise of the CSG’s deployment and one of the largest military exercises in the world this year. For the first time, offshore activities will also be conducted in Papua New Guinea.
Commodore James Blackmore said:
“This is a real demonstration of the UK and our partners’ warfighting capabilities.
“As the first UK-led multinational Carrier Strike Group to Talisman Sabre this is a powerful demonstration of our commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.
“Exercise Talisman Sabre is also an opportunity for the UK to develop new levels of integration between systems and capabilities with the US, Australia, and other partners, enhancing our interoperability even further and to unprecedented levels.”
All three branches of the UK Armed Forces are engaged, with the Royal Marines playing a central role throughout the exercise alongside a Ranger Battalion from the Army and RAF Voyager aircraft.
The exercise strengthens operational cooperation with international partners, ensuring our collective ability to maintain the rules-based international order that underpins global trade and security.
The Royal Navy, alongside its AUKUS partners, is testing cutting-edge sub-sea and seabed warfare capabilities, showcasing interoperability across our navies. Additionally, for the first time, AUKUS nations will demonstrate the ability to remotely control Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (XL-UUVs) from a remote operating centre.
Through DSTL via the Resilience Autonomy and AI Technology collaboration, nations tested autonomy-enabled systems able to find and strike an advancing adversary. This experimentation provided a realistic combat environment for AUKUS to operate as an AI-enabled, integrated force, exploiting cutting-edge technology to ensure strategic advantage against a range of simulated adversaries.
The CSG25 deployment reinforces the government’s Plan for Change by strengthening international partnerships that underpin economic growth and national security, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad. Operation Highmast occurs against the backdrop of the government’s landmark commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.6% of GDP.
This historic investment underpins the government’s mission-led approach to securing Britain’s future, providing the economic stability necessary for growth whilst ensuring the UK maintains cutting-edge capabilities such as the Carrier Strike Group to meet emerging global threats.
Main Photo: Left to right – American aircraft carrier, USS George Washington, British Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales, Canadian Warship HMCS Vill De Quebec, Norwegian Warship HNoMS Roald Amundsen, United States Warships USS Robert Smalls, USS Shoup, Australian Warship HMAS Sydney, British ship RFA Tidespring and British Warship HMS Dauntless. Photographer: PO Phot Rory Arnold UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025 – MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
