30 July 2025
Exercise Talisman Sabre is a significantly bigger ‘world’ than many soldiers see at unit or even brigade-level training.
Army Reserve driver Private Sian O’Connor, from 4th Combat Service Support Battalion (4CSSB), travelled from Maygar Barracks in Melbourne’s northern suburbs to Darwin to see and experience as much as she could of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
“I’m expecting the tempo to be pretty high, so it’ll be our job to make sure everyone across the 4th Brigade force elements gets what they need when they need it,” Private O’Connor said.
“We’ll also have to provide security and contribute to the homeland defence role we’re practising, and we’ve rehearsed that ahead of deploying so we’re all ready to do that, too.”
This is the first time Private O’Connor has deployed on Exercise Talisman Sabre and she’s looking forward to seeing many of the 18 partner nations in action.
“I can’t wait to get a first-hand look at the international forces in action, how they do things, and how different it is to the Australian Defence Force,” Private O’Connor said.
'Big exercises like this are a perfect opportunity to reinforce training or just learn on the go.'
Vehicle technician Corporal Anthony D’Addona, also from 4CSSB, was eager to pass on his knowledge from previous exercises to those deploying on Exercise Talisman Sabre for the first time.
“We’ve been preparing for about a year for this opportunity and I’ve got two new guys in my team, so I’m looking forward to getting them involved and sharing my experience with them,” Corporal D’Addona said.
“Big exercises like this are a perfect opportunity to reinforce training or just learn on the go, so I’m certain our team will come away from this better prepared for future operations.”
4CSSB is an Army Reserve logistics unit within 4th Brigade with depots across Melbourne and wider Victoria.
Exercise Talisman Sabre will run until August 4.
