Talisman Sabre 25: Dangerous preparations for a war not in Australia’s interests – Media Release 21 July 2025

National peace body, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN), has described the Talisman Sabre war exercises which began this week as ‘dangerous preparations for a war that’s not in Australia’s interests’.

Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise but over the past 20 years it has grown to encompass 30,000 troops from 29 nations, in what the USA Department of Defence is calling the ‘Olympics of War Games’.

But IPAN rejects this mischaracterisation. ‘War is not a game,’ said IPAN Member and spokesperson Mr Justin Tutty.
‘We should recognise this massive exercise for what it is: rehearsal, and preparation for war.’

‘This month’s exercise comes in the context of an imminent review of AUKUS by the Pentagon, which broaches guarantees that any USA-made nuclear submarines would be used in a possible conflict with China.’

‘The games being played by these military commanders threaten to condemn young Australians to die in a future war on China – waged for USA interests, not our own.’

IPAN says this year’s Talisman Sabre will also provide cover for the pre-positioning of USA war fighting materiel in Australia for war in our region.
The USA Army have highlighted the role of a Joint Theater Distribution Center at Townsville, for the prepositioning and stockpiling of equipment and supplies for the Pacific.

‘We’ve seen this before. Ten years ago, TS15 was taken as an opportunity to preposition the full range of hardware of the occupying Marines Rotational Force’, said Mr Tutty.
‘This year, the exercise will enable the prepositioning of further USA military assets in Queensland.’
‘We know that the USA cannot fight their war against China without this kind of cooperation by nations in our region.’

In stark contrast to these war games chewing up tax payer dollars and spitting out environmental pollutants and to the Trumpian calls for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, IPAN and a growing number of concerned groups and citizens are calling for peace, disarmament and an independent foreign and defence policy.

IPAN calls for termination of the Force Posture Agreement, which gives the US a significant military foot-print on Australia and enables the USA to exercise access and control over designated facilities for prepositioning of equipment and materials.

IPAN are hosting delegates from around the region for the Pacific Peace Conference in Brisbane on the 2^nd of August.
ENDS
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Media Interviews: Justin Tutty 0424 028 741 and Annette Brownlie 0431 597 256
Media Liaison: Jonathan Pilbrow 0403 611 815

Bio: Justin Tutty is a Darwin-based anti-nuclear activist and a founding member of IPAN

Bio: Annette Brownlie is founding member of the Brisbane based community
peace organisation, Just Peace Queensland, and the current (and inaugural)
chairperson of IPAN. She has served in this position for over a decade.