By Chen Hanghui, Zhang Chengbao

The Talisman Sabre exercise, initiated in 2005, is held by the US and Australia alternately and biennially in Australia. Starting as a bilateral exercise, it began to invite other countries in 2015. The Talisman Sabre 2023 involves about 30,000 service members and more than 20 vessels, being the largest and most complicated exercise ever held by American and Australian forces, foreign media reported. This year's exercise has three characteristics compared to previous years.

Larger scale. Previously the exercise was usually held in Queensland, Australia. This year, in addition to the 17 training stations in Queensland, it also had one in New South Wales, one in Western Australia, and two air force training stations in Northern Territory. The exercise, taking place in waters around Norfolk Island, covered almost the entire Australia, with the longest distance between the command and the troops being 2,500 km. Moreover, with the participation of 11 countries including the UK, France, Japan and Germany, the number of participating countries also increased sharply compared to the last exercise.

More intense confrontation. The exercise lasted 15 days, including 10 days of live-fire activities. Compared with previous years, it not only larger in scale, but also take the back-to-back confrontation, which is significantly more confrontational. American media reported that what's special about the latest exercise is the high-caliber capabilities of the imaginary enemy – the joint forces of multiple nations led by the US face up against a high-end rival equipped with full-spectrum combat capabilities covering the land, sea, air, space, electronics, and cyberspace.

Greater emphasis on joint logistics support. Large-scale logistics operation is a key subject this year. The US forces set up logistics commands in Brisbane, Townsville and Darwin at different levels, and a joint logistics landing operation was carried out to test the US-Australian joint forces' capability of ocean-crossing transportation, on-the-sea unloading, and personnel and equipment takeover. Australian media called it the most significant logistics drill by the joint forces in Australia after WWII.

During the exercise, the US Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense inspected the exercising troops in succession, and the bilateral "two plus two" meeting between their defense and foreign ministers was also held. Behind such a high-profile exercise is America's intention to achieve multiple strategic purposes.

First, it wants to tie the South Pacific allies and partners onto its chariot to consolidate America's clout in the region. During the exercise, the US side went to great lengths to play up the so-called common threats and create a confrontational atmosphere, and kept repeating its security commitment to South Pacific countries in order to highlight its role as the protective umbrella. Taking the opportunity of the exercise, US Defense Secretary Austin visited Papua New Guinea and Australia, taking the initiative to strengthen the engagement with senior military officials of those countries in an attempt to leverage inter-state relations on security and drag them onto America's strategic orbit to serve its Indo-Pacific strategy.

Second, it wants to integrate the alliances in the Indo-Pacific and cement its regional leadership. In addition to the 13 participating countries, this year's Talisman Sabre also invited India, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as four observer states. The 17 countries include five American allies, such as Japan, Australia and ROK, and almost all members of America's key alliances in the Indo-Pacific region, such as AUKUS, Quad and the Five Eyes. America's intention of "exercise for alliance" cannot be more obvious. It also urged France and Germany to send troops to participate in the continued effort to stretch NATO's antenna to the Asia Pacific. All these are full proof that the US wants to create a nested Indo-Pacific alliance system centered on itself. 

Moreover, it hopes to enhance combat interoperability with its allies. During the exercise, the US-Australian joint forces, in collaboration with forces from other countries, carried out high-end warfare subjects such as combat in complex terrain and high-intensity air battle. American troops also specified the combat support and logistics needs and advanced battlefield projection. Before the exercise even concluded, the US side announced its plan to set up a logistics distribution center in Australia, upgrade key airports in relevant areas, and assign more maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to meet future combat needs.

Washington claimed that the exercise was aimed to strengthen the cooperation with allies and jointly defend security and democracy, but its true motive was to rope in or coerce its allies and partners into assisting in its geopolitical confrontation with China and to expand its influence in the South Pacific.

Due to historical and realistic reasons, South Pacific countries are plagued by backward infrastructure, slugging economic growth, and mounting existential threats from climate change and natural disasters. What they truly want is for major countries to help and aid them and jointly tackle their challenges. Yet America, turning a blind eye to their immediate needs and concerns, just goes ahead and develops relations with them from the perspective of major-country competition. It answers their developmental demand with traditional security thinking, and the initiatives it has put forth are mere lip service that cannot solve the countries' problems because they are confrontational and exclusive.

America's geopolitical game doesn't conform to the trend of the times, nor is it welcomed by South Pacific countries. Washington should respect and cater to regional countries' common wish for peace, development and cooperation, and stop its provocative and confrontational military exercises. It should instead replace its competitive, confrontational mindset with one embracing peace and development, and take solid steps to preserve regional peace and stability.