US, Australia rehearse long-range firepower, with eye on china

The United States and Australia rehearsed precision missile strikes during war games on Saturday, the latest in a series of moves by the partners amid growing tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The live-fire drills were held at the Shoalwater Bay military complex in the northeastern region of Queensland as a part of the two-week-long Talisman Sabre joint military exercises.

It comes as Canberra overhauls its military strategy, focusing on long-range firepower in a bid to keep the potential adversaries at arm’s length.

According to Australian Army Major Tony Purdy the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which was recently sold to the Australian Defense Force, was also tested in the drill.

Purdy said the missile system would “provide a significant capability boost” and much-needed “long-range precision.”

Major Jimmy Sheehan, Talisman Sabre Spokesperson for the US forces, said these initiatives and ‘firsts’ ultimately create an exercise that will enhance Australia and the US’s ability to “respond to global security challenges in the region.”

The US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said at the start of the exercises on Friday that “The most important message that China can take from this exercise and anything that our allies and partners do together is that we are extremely tied by the core values that exist amongst our many nations.”

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations, claimed that a Chinese spy ship had been sighted off the northeastern coast of Australia while preparations for the military exercises were underway.

The joint military exercises involve military partners and observers from thirteen countries in the Indo-Pacific region Japan, France, Germany, and South Korea, and more than 30,000 troops.  

ME