By Zheng Cheng

征  程

7月13日至8月4日，美国和澳大利亚主导的“护身军刀2025”联合军演举行。“护身军刀”系列演习每两年举办一次，此次演习较之往届呈现出规模范围扩大、课目内容增加等显著特点。在美方加速推进所谓“印太战略”的背景下，此次演习释放出多重信号，给地区安全局势增添了不确定性。

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, led by the US and Australia, was held from July 13 to August 4. As a biennial event, this year's iteration stood out for its expanded scale and scope, with significantly increased training content and operational complexity. Against the backdrop of Washington's accelerating push for its so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy, the exercise sent multiple signals and introduced new uncertainties into the regional security dynamics.

7月13日至8月4日，美国和澳大利亚主导的“护身军刀2025”联合军演举行。“护身军刀”系列演习每两年举办一次，此次演习较之往届呈现出规模范围扩大、课目内容增加等显著特点。在美方加速推进所谓“印太战略”的背景下，此次演习释放出多重信号，给地区安全局势增添了不确定性。

Expanded Operational Scope and Strategic Depth. The Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 set new records in terms of troop size, geographical reach, and international participation. The number of participating countries rose from 13 in the previous exercise to 19. Major naval powers such as the US, Australia, the UK, and Japan dispatched high-profile warships, with the total number of personnel exceeding 35,000. The exercise area stretched from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean to the Coral Sea off Australia, some 6,500 kilometers away. In a joint statement, the US and Australia described the Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 as the largest and most sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australi. Notably, the exercise also included participation from several South Pacific island nations and, for the first time, extended operations to the waters off Papua New Guinea. This reflects a broader strategic aim by the US to connect key Indo-Pacific countries, manipulate European allies, and court neutral regional players, ultimately expanding strategic depth beyond the first island chain.

拓展规模范围，加大战略纵深。此次“护身军刀”军演，兵力规模、演习范围和国际参与度等方面均创历史新高——参演国家由上次的13个增至19个；美、澳、英、日等国派出大型主力战舰高规格参演，参演兵力超3.5万人；演习海域由印度洋圣诞岛延伸至6500公里外的澳大利亚珊瑚海。美澳在一份声明中表示，“护身军刀2025”是有史以来在澳大利亚举行的规模最大、最复杂的作战演习。值得关注的是，此次军演还邀请了多个南太岛国参加，并将演习范围首次拓展至巴布亚新几内亚近海，显示出美正通过串联印太关键国、裹挟欧洲盟伴国、拉拢区域中立国，进一步扩大“第一岛链”以外的战略纵深。

Intelligent Warfare Drills for High-End Conflict. In addition to traditional operations such as field combat, amphibious landings, maritime interdiction, and air and missile defense, this year's exercise introduced new elements focused on cyber warfare and the militarization of artificial intelligence. Participating forces from multiple countries conducted drills simulating offensive and defensive cyber operations targeting enemy command systems, communication networks, and critical infrastructure to enhance cybersecurity capabilities under high-end warfare conditions. In recent years, the US military has intensified development of its Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control. This exercise served as a live testbed for that system by simulating and rehearsing scenarios for potential future high-end, intelligent warfare between major powers.

新增智能课目，备战高端战争。此次军演内容不仅涵盖野外作战、两栖登陆、海上拦截、防空反导等传统课目，同时新增了网络战、人工智能军事化应用等课目。多国参演部队在此次军演中演练了针对敌方指挥系统、通信网络和关键基础设施的网络攻防，以提升高端战争条件下的网络安全防护能力。美军近年来大力推进联盟联合全域指挥与控制系统研发，此次演习为该系统提供了实战化测试平台，为未来可能的大国智能化高端战争进行模拟和预演。

Test-Firing of Typhon for Strategic Deterrence. During the exercise, the US military conducted the first-ever overseas use of the Typhon medium-range missile system to launch Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), which successfully struck a maritime target. This follows the deployment of the Typhon system to the Philippines in April last year, where it has remained stationed. The live-fire testing of the Typhon system marks a significant move in strengthening the US military posture in the Indo-Pacific and will boost the US military's long-range precision strike capability within the first island chain.

试射“堤丰”导弹，强化战略威慑。军演中，美军首次在本土以外使用“堤丰”中程导弹系统，发射“标准-6”导弹并击中海上目标。去年4月，美军将“堤丰”系统部署到菲律宾并持续滞留。此次“堤丰”系统的实战化测试是美国强化印太地区军事部署的重要信号，将进一步增强美军在“第一岛链”内的远程精确打击能力。

Verifying New Concepts to Strengthen Support Systems. To address the US military's logistical shortfalls in the Indo-Pacific region, this exercise specifically included logistics-focused components aimed at enhancing logistics and sustainment capabilities required in high-intensity conflict environments. It also tested and verified new concepts such as the Joint Theater Sustainment Distribution Centers, which is designed to enable effective forward positioning of equipment and supplies in the Pacific theater. According to US plans, the Joint Theater Sustainment Distribution Centers must be capable of accommodating both docking of warships and takeoff and landing of aircraft. It reflects the US military's deep concern over its survivability and sustained combat capability under distributed warfare conditions. By verifying new operational concepts, the US seeks to address existing gaps in its regional logistics and support infrastructure.

验证新型概念，强化保障体系。为弥补美军在印太地区的后勤保障能力短板，此次演习专门设置相关内容，重点提升“高对抗环境中所需的后勤和保障能力”，并对“联合战区配送中心”等新型概念进行测试验证，以实现在太平洋战区前沿有效预置装备和物资。根据美方设想，“联合战区配送中心”需要具备港口停泊和飞机起降的基本条件。从中可以看出，美军对分布式作战条件下生存能力和持久作战能力的深度忧虑，希望通过此次演习验证新型作战概念，补齐区域后勤保障体系短板。

The Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 not only underscores Washington's intent to reinforce its regional military presence and consolidate alliance networks but also signals an accelerated push to prepare for high-end warfare between major powers. Far from being a routine military drill, this exercise, with clearly targeted content, reflects the strategic calculations and a Cold War mindset of the US in regional power competition. As the US and Australia continue to normalize and diversify joint military exercises, tensions in the Indo-Pacific are likely to escalate, posing new risks and challenges to the regional security architecture, which would cause alarm among regional countries.  

此次“护身军刀”军演，不仅体现了美国强化地区军事存在、巩固盟伴体系的战略意图，也反映出美方加紧备战大国高端战争的动向。此次军演绝非单纯的例行演练，相关演习内容意图明显，折射出美国在区域博弈中的战略算计和冷战思维。随着美、澳持续推动联合军演常态化和多样化，印太地区的军事态势或将进一步紧张，地区安全格局将面临新的风险和挑战，需引起地区国家高度警惕。