TALISMAN SABRE 2011
Q. Why did the exercise in 2009 use the spelling Talisman Saber?
A. Because the planning for Talisman Saber 2009 was led by the US we adopted the American spelling of ‘Saber’. This time Australia is leading the planning so we will use the spelling ‘Sabre’.
Q. Does the name of the exercise have any significance?
A. As this is a joint exercise, the Australians provided the word ‘talisman’ and the US provided the word ‘saber’. There is no symbolic meaning in the name.
Q. How will the risk to public safety be managed?
A. Strict management and controls restrict public access to the training areas throughout TS11.
Defence will continue to work with local communities to ensure access around the training areas are clearly marked and easily identified.
Temporary restricted areas will be established for both marine and airspace, which prohibits public access for the duration of the exercise to ensure public safety.
Rigorous risk management principles that carefully consider safety requirements will be employed during the exercise to continually monitor and respond to identified risks.
Q. Will depleted uranium munitions be used throughout the exercise
A. No. Depleted uranium munitions are not in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) inventory and are not permitted to be used for use by foreign or domestic forces within Australia. Depleted uranium munitions will not be used during TS11.
Q. Will there be any experimental technologies or weapons used throughout the exercise?
A. The purpose of the exercise is to test interoperability between the ADF and US Forces and to redefine defence procedures, not to test weapons.
New technologies, for example in communications, surveillance, management and reporting systems may be trialled. Experimental weapons in the form of biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear will not be used throughout TS11.
Some non-lethal weapons, such as those used in electronic warfare to destruct enemy communication may be used.
Q. Will nuclear vessels be used throughout the exercise?
A. Yes. Nuclear submarines and a nuclear aircraft carrier will be deployed during TS11 and will operate within specific designated areas of operation. The US Navy has a very good record of safety and professionalism for operating nuclear power plants. No nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological weapons will be used during TS11.
Q. What environmental measures are put in place to ensure the protection of local areas?
For all aspects of the exercise, extensive consultation takes place between the ADF, US Forces and Australian government environmental agencies to identify and minimise potential environmental impacts through the development of TALISMAN SABRE 2011 Environmental Management Plan.
A Public Environment Report (PER) was prepared by an independent environmental consultant, AECOM Australia Pty Ltd and made available for public comment in early November 2010. Responses to public submissions have been incorporated into the final PER. The final PER has been released and will also be available on a public website.
At the close of the exercise, redeployment is managed on a policy of ‘no footprint’, with all exercise materials, equipment and debris removes and all disturbances (e.g. tracks, ditches) rehabilitated.
Dedicated Defence personnel will ensure the enforcement and implementation of environmental procedures, oversee response to incident management, and organise for pre and post checks on environmental conditions.
Defence is proud of its environment management record throughout past exercise and the day-to-day management of its training sites. Defence routinely monitors its environmental performance during exercises and day-to-day activities through the collection of key environmental data.