USS Ronald Reagan arrives in Australia for at-sea phase of exercise Talisman Sabre

The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), joined other participants of exercise Talisman Sabre 2017 on July 8 ahead of the start of major at-sea portions of the drill.

TS 17 is a joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia being held biennially off the coast of Australia.

The exercise officially kicked off June 29 while the major amphibious assault drill is set to take place on July 12.

“Talisman Saber is an excellent opportunity for Sailors from both navies to train together and enhance our collective, maritime capabilities,” said Capt. Buzz Donnelly, Ronald Reagan’s commanding officer. “Our ability to integrate seamlessly with our Australian Defence Force partners is integral to our combined efforts to support peace and stability in the region.”

TS 17 will include more than 33,000 U.S. and Australian personnel and feature 21 ships, to include the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, and more than 200 joint aircraft.

This is the seventh iteration of the exercise and will focus on training a combined task force of U.S. and Australian forces in a mid-intensity warfighting scenario, incorporating interagency participation, along with a command post exercise involving a transition between a three and four-star headquarters. U.S. Pacific Command units and Australian forces will conduct sea, land, air, cyber training exercises throughout multiple training areas in and around Australia.

The exercise will be conducted from multiple locations in the U.S. to include: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Naval Base San Diego, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Naval Station Norfolk Suffolk Joint DoD Complex, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and on the island of Guam; and multiple locations in Australia to include: Darwin, Rockhampton, Amberley, Canbena, Enoggera, Fog Bay, the maritime areas of the Coral Sea; and Australian ranges to include the Bradshaw, Shoalwater and Townsville Field Training Areas.

The exercise also includes participation from a number of international organizations, including the World Food Programme, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.