Australia

Marines assess a terrain map during an amphibious assault exercise in Bowen, Australia, July 22, 2019, as part of Talisman Sabre, an exercise between U.S. and Australian troops. Talisman Sabre 19 is a bilateral exercise that provides U.S. and Australian forces realistic and relevant training to strengthen regional security, peace and stability. This year, the […]

Air Commandos from the U.S. 320th Special Tactics Squadron evacuate a downed pilot with simulated injuries while conducting a personnel recovery (PR) training mission during Talisman Sabre, July 20, 2019. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise that tests the two forces combat training, readiness and interoperability.

A British Royal Marine, who serves with Forty Commando, Royal Marines, walks in formation during a patrol in the field near Stanage Bay, Queensland, Australia, July 17, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019. Exercises such as Talisman Sabre offer a uniquely complex and challenging multinational environment for forces to hone their skills.

BOWEN, Australia (July 22, 2019) Assault amphibious vehicles, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) depart the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20). Green Bay, part of the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, with embarked 31st MEU, is currently participating in Talisman Sabre 2019 off the coast of […]

In 2015, when the Australian military was discussing its future combat rifle, there was an interesting debate about the merits of the M4/AR15 platform versus its competitors. More specifically, an Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) warrant officer with over 25 years’ experience in the SOF community offered some interesting remarks about why the M4/AR15 […]

The Australian Federal Police raided Australia’s ABC news offices earlier this month, as well as the home of journalist Annika Smethurst. When searching the offices, they had a search warrant with two specifics names on it, journalists Sam Clark and Daniel Oakes. Clark and Oakes published a piece called “The Afghan Files” in 2017, based […]

Members of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operators and Australian Defense Force conduct training with their counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Exercise Balikatan 2019. The annual U.S.-Philippine military training exercise demonstrates the commitment of the Philippines and the United States to our long-standing alliance by conducting maritime security operations which build […]

China’s aggressive claims of sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea have put the nation at odds with many of its Pacific neighbors, many of whom have conflicting claims over portions of the waterway. International law permits the navigation of waterways outside of about 12 nautical miles from a nation’s shore and […]

In an operation reminiscent of the Second World War’s island hopping, the U.S. Marine Corps conducted an amphibious and air assault against Iejima Island, a small Pacific island off the coast of Japan, seizing its airfield and strategic points in a rapid and aggressive operation. More specifically, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Air Commandos […]

In an ironic turn of events, New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) snipers were training only a few miles away from the sites of the two mosque massacres that took place March 15th in Christchurch, New Zealand. According to reports in New Zealand media outlets, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) was organizing a long-range […]

China’s aggressive claims of sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea have put the nation at odds with many of its Pacific neighbors, many of whom have conflicting claims over portions of the waterway. International law permits the navigation of waterways outside of about 12 nautical miles from a nation’s shore and […]

In the early, dark days of World War II, the United States military in the Pacific theater was reeling. After the disastrous sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the Japanese forces began a series of invasions across the Pacific and extended their empire nearly to the edges of Hawaii. American and Filipino […]