A key U.S. warship arrived in Australia on Saturday ahead of major joint military exercises and a highly anticipated summit between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump, where defence issues are expected to take center stage.
The USS America, the U.S. Navy’s lead amphibious assault ship in the Indo-Pacific, entered Sydney Harbour as the first of three vessels in a strike group carrying 2,500 sailors and marines, submarine-hunting helicopters, and F-35B fighter jets.
The arrival comes as more than 30,000 military personnel from 19 countries begin to assemble in Australia for Talisman Sabre, the largest Australian-U.S. war-fighting exercise. Scheduled to start next month, the drills will cover 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles), stretching from Australia’s Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island to the Coral Sea on its eastern coast.
Commander of the America, Rear Admiral Tom Shultz, emphasized the importance of conducting exercises in Australia for U.S. naval readiness.
Australian Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Chris Smith highlighted the depth of the bilateral relationship, noting, “The diversity of how we view the world is actually a real great strength in our alliance.” Smith added that Australia also maintains strong ties with other regional partners.
Albanese and Trump are set to meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) economic summit in Canada, which begins Sunday.
A major topic of discussion is expected to be Washington’s request for Canberra to increase its defence spending from 2% to 3.5% of gross domestic product.
For the first time, India will join the Talisman Sabre exercises, alongside a significant contingent from Europe, according to exercise director Brigadier Damian Hill.
“It is the first time we are firing HIMARS in Australia, and our air defence capability will work alongside the United States Patriot systems for the first time, and that is really important,” Hill said.
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