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Ex Talisman Saber ramps up
By Greg Smith

Edition 4909, 31 May, 2007
The government of Kamaria has been accused of genocide, with the ADF being mobilised to take action.

The ADF will be part of a 30,000-strong UN-sanctioned force which will attempt to bring stability to the region, conveniently located in the north and north-east of Australia.

That’s the scenario facing participants in the combined joint US-Australian exercise, which has just commenced in Hawaii and Japan (part A) and will continue in Australia from June 12-30 (part B).

To be conducted primarily in the Rockhampton and Townsville areas, Talisman Saber 07 will involve almost 2000 RAAF personnel, 10 F/A-18s, six F-111s, two AP-3Cs, two DHC-4s, four C-130s, a B707 and a C-17. The RAAF will be participating alongside more than 200 allied aircraft, operating from Australian and US bases and aircraft carriers.

AVM Mark Binskin, soon to become ACAUST, will control one of the largest air exercises ever undertaken in Australia as the Combined Forces Air Component Commander.

“This exercise will fully test us, not only because of its scope, but because we also have so much happening operationally,” AVM Binskin said.

“However, the FEGs have done a great job in providing resources and personnel, and we’re looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“Compared to Pitch Black, this exercise is a huge undertaking. It’s particularly challenging not only because of the numbers, but because we are conducting it at a time when we have many people on deployments.”

A full range of battle scenarios, including air-to-air combat and ground-based missile evasion, will be undertaken.
“There’s hardly anything that will go untested,” AVM Binskin said.

The main aim of the exercise is to develop the Air Force’s air operations command and control procedures.

“This exercise will fully test our doctrine, tactics and procedures in a combined, joint setting,” he said.

“Because it’s a combined, joint-forces exercise, which will involve maritime, land and air activities, it will expose our people to the widest range of scenarios.”