“Largest Amphibious Assault Since WWII”

Tyler Durden / ZeroHedge

(July 19, 19) — A joint Australian-US military exercise, called Talisman Sabre 2019, will continue through early August following this week’s Australian-led amphibious landing at Langham Beach, Queensland, Australia, reported Naval Today.

Forces from around the world (the US, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Japan) practiced one of the most massive beach assault since World War II off the eastern coast of Queensland. 

Maj. Gen. Roger Noble, deputy chief of joint operations for the Australian Defence Force, noted the beach assault was the critical portion of the month-long exercise.

“The relationship between the Australian and the United States is the cornerstone of our regional stability. Practicing [working together] builds our flexibility to achieve our shared aims . . . . A credible amphibious capability significantly broadens the options for Australia and the United States to fulfill these requirements,” Noble said in a statement Wednesday.

Stripes said the Australian military lacks a dedicated amphibious force. Rather, the Australian army rotates soldiers through land and sea postings, and the Australian navy is in command of sailing them close to the beach for attacks.

“This is completely foreign to almost all of us,” said Capt. Matthew Stevens of the Royal Australian Army’s 7th Infantry Regiment, who led the group of soldiers on the amphibious landing craft earlier this week.

The amphibious assault included more than 34,000 personnel, 30 ships, and 200 aircraft, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported Thursday.

Marines started aboard the USS Wasp, USS Green Bay, Royal Australian Navy ships, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels. The marines then used landing craft air cushion, amphibious assault vehicles, and combat rubber raiding crafts for the beach assault.

As the first wave of Americans and Japanese landed on the beach, a smokescreen was deployed to disorient the imagined enemy. 

While on land, Australian soldiers observed as two Japanese air-cushioned landing craft drove ashore.

The exercise came after US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson last month encouraged Australian counterparts to become more active in countering China’s military expansion in the South China Sea.

Tensions flared up earlier this week when the Royal Malaysian Navy conducted anti-ship missile war drills in the South China Sea.

There’s also been worsening relations between China and Vietnam, who are currently in a South China Sea stand-off. The latest dispute began two weeks ago when a Chinese geological survey ship started conducting a seismic survey near the Vietnamese-controlled – and China-claimed – Vanguard Reef, and has resulted in coastguard vessels from the two countries patrolling the area.

The South China Sea has overlapping claims, Brunei, the People’s Republic of China, Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan), Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam; all believe they have equal rights to the highly disputed body of water.

And to make matters worse, the Pentagon told Congress it expects to solidify a $2.2 billion arms sale with Taiwan, further irritating China who warns it will sanction US defense firms connected to Taiwan arms deal.

As tensions boil in the South China Sea, it becomes evident why Australia and the US conducted one of the most significant amphibious assaults in more than seven decades: the world is preparing for war with the rising power, China.

Australian Troops Lead the Way During Talisman Sabre Amphibious-assault Practice

Caitlin Doonbos / Stars and Stripes

LANGHAM BEACH, Australia (July 17, 2019) — About 15 geared-up Australian soldiers piled into an LCM-1E open-air amphibious transport dock, ready for battle with their faces painted green, brown and black.

Their mission: Liberate the fictional country of Legais from enemy forces through an amphibious assault, seizing an airfield and port.

Tuesday marked the first time Australia has led a beach assault since World War II, with the help of US, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Japan forces. The practice assault was the start of the peak action for Talisman Sabre, a biennial military exercise led by US and Australian forces off the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia.

The amphibious landing practice was one of the most important portions of the monthlong exercise, Maj. Gen. Roger Noble, deputy chief of joint operations for the Australian Defence Force, said in a statement Wednesday.

“The relationship between Australian and the United States is the cornerstone of our regional stability. Practicing [working together] builds our flexibility to achieve our shared aims,” he said. “A credible amphibious capability significantly broadens the options for Australia and the United States to fulfil these requirements.”

Unlike the US, the Australian military does not have a dedicated amphibious force. Instead, the Australian army rotates soldiers through land and sea postings, and the Australian navy is in charge of sailing them close to the beach for assaults.

“This is completely foreign to almost all of us,” said Capt. Matthew Stevens of the Royal Australian Army’s 7th Infantry Regiment, who led the group of soldiers on the amphibious landing craft Tuesday.

Also on board the transport dock were two light armored vehicles, each of which, despite the name, weighs 14 tons. It was the first time the Australians used these eight-wheeled amphibious reconnaissance vehicles in Talisman Sabre, Stevens said.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to work in a joint environment,” Stevens said aboard the transport dock as it pulled away from the HMAS Adelaide. “This is the only time in our careers to be able to do this.”

The ride from the Adelaide to the beach took about 2 ½ hours over choppy waters. The transport dock sailed alongside five others over the volatile Coral Sea, each wave unsteadying the soldiers’ feet and spraying saltwater over them and their equipment.

Though the experience recalled scenes from the 1944 Normandy landings, the soldiers were almost too calm. Two junior officers rolled their own cigarettes, leaning against the sides of the transport dock, while other soldiers napped in the sunshine, their chins resting on the butts of their rifles.

Stevens said that though the Talisman Sabre exercise was meant to practice combat skills, the Australian army is more likely to use amphibious landing in a humanitarian-assistance role.

“Unlike the events of D-Day, the key difference is that this is a permissive or semi-permissive environment,” Stevens said. “In our modern context, our primary role in our operations is a humanitarian environment.”

As the landing dock approached the coast, five helicopters swirled overhead, conducting reconnaissance ahead of the arriving soldiers and Marines.

As the first wave of Americans and Japanese landed on the beach, a smoke screen was deployed to obscure the imagined enemy’s vision. Soon after, Stevens’ landing dock cruised into the beach, the vehicles were unloaded and his soldiers bailed out, trudging through waist-deep water to reach the shore.

Once on land, Australian soldiers watched in awe as two Japanese air-cushioned landing craft drove ashore, with one servicemember exclaiming, “that was worth the trip.” The US and Japan are the only nations to use the amphibious hovercraft that can push across water and sand at more than 70 knots at full speed.

In total, the partner nations brought in two waves of amphibious-assault vehicles and three waves of Australian landing craft carrying “a combination of tracked vehicles, armored personnel carriers, light armored vehicles ashore to engage in a mission,” said exchange officer Col. Matt Sieber, a US Marine working with Australia’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. About 1,000 troops took part in the exercise, according to the Australian Department of Defence.

“I’m really happy with how it turned out,” Sieber said. “The team came together from all three nations and were able to operate great and interoperable throughout the whole landing.”

Talisman Sabre runs until early August. Altogether, 34,000 military personnel from the US, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. are participating, with delegations from South Korea and India observing.

Stevens said that though the Talisman Sabre exercise was meant to practice combat skills, the Australian army is more likely to use amphibious landing in a humanitarian-assistance role.

“Unlike the events of D-Day, the key difference is that this is a permissive or semi-permissive environment,” Stevens said. “In our modern context, our primary role in our operations is a humanitarian environment.”

As the landing dock approached the coast, five helicopters swirled overhead, conducting reconnaissance ahead of the arriving soldiers and Marines.

As the first wave of Americans and Japanese landed on the beach, a smoke screen was deployed to obscure the imagined enemy’s vision. Soon after, Stevens’ landing dock cruised into the beach, the vehicles were unloaded and his soldiers bailed out, trudging through waist-deep water to reach the shore.

Once on land, Australian soldiers watched in awe as two Japanese air-cushioned landing craft drove ashore, with one servicemember exclaiming, “that was worth the trip.” The US and Japan are the only nations to use the amphibious hovercraft that can push across water and sand at more than 70 knots at full speed.

In total, the partner nations brought in two waves of amphibious-assault vehicles and three waves of Australian landing craft carrying “a combination of tracked vehicles, armored personnel carriers, light armored vehicles ashore to engage in a mission,” said exchange officer Col. Matt Sieber, a US Marine working with Australia’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. About 1,000 troops took part in the exercise, according to the Australian Department of Defence.

“I’m really happy with how it turned out,” Sieber said. “The team came together from all three nations and were able to operate great and interoperable throughout the whole landing.”

Talisman Sabre runs until early August. Altogether, 34,000 military personnel from the US, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. are participating, with delegations from South Korea and India observing.

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