THE Armed Forces has sent 32 soldiers to Australia to take part in a huge-scale military drill, “Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025,” with their Australian and American counterparts.
Talisman opened last Sunday aboard HMAS Adelaide in Sydney, Australia and will run until July 27, the military said in a statement yesterday.
The military described Talisman as “the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States.”
The training activities are scheduled to be held in various areas in Australia, including Rockhampton, Townsville, Brisbane, and Sydney.
“This year’s exercise … brings together regional allies and partners to enhance interoperability, readiness, and cooperation in addressing shared security challenges,” the military said.
During the 2023 iteration of the exercise, the Armed Forces sent personnel to Australia merely as observers.
“Marking a significant milestone in regional defense cooperation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is participating for the first time in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States,” the AFP said.
It said this year “marks the first time Philippine military personnel are taking part as official participants in the exercises.”
“The AFP contingent includes 32 personnel, composed of both observers and active participants,” the military said.
It said the military’s participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 “reflects the Philippines’ commitment to regional peace and security, and further strengthens military ties with key allies and defense partners.”
Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido represented AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr during the opening of the exercise. Several other countries were invited to participate in the exercise, including Canada, France, Germany, India, and United Kingdom.
Galido emphasized the military’s commitment to enhancing interoperability with other military forces across the region, through participation in multilateral and bilateral exercises.
“These collaborative efforts will play a crucial role in strengthening defense relations and improving cooperation among allied and partner land forces in the broader Indo-Pacific region,” said Galido.
Galido met with his Australian and German counterparts, Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart and Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais, respectively, on the sidelines of the exercise opening.
During his meeting with Stuart, Galido reaffirmed the Philippine Army’s “commitment to maintaining a productive and healthy engagement” with the Australian army through the conduct of bilateral exercises.
“The Army chief noted that these bilateral trainings are crucial amid the increased security challenges that could potentially disrupt peace in the region,” said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Louie Dema-ala in a statement.
In his meeting with Mais, Galido emphasized the importance of Germany’s pivot to the Indo-Pacific region for the promotion of rules-based international order and respect for the international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The meeting comes as Germany and the Philippines work to finalize a defense pact by the end of 2025, following the historic visit of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to Manila in August 2024 which marked the first visit by a German Defense Chief to the Philippines,” said Dema-ala.
Dema-ala noted the “significant contributions” of Australia and Germany in the Philippine Army’s modernization efforts.
He said the Philippine Army is looking forward to future bilateral activities with the two nations “to build collective capabilities to effectively and efficiently address any emerging security challenges in the region, promote stability and cooperation among nations.”
