US Alliance Flexes Missile Strike Capability Amid China Threat
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The United States and its Pacific ally, Australia, staged a show of force demonstrating their long-range strike capabilities through a missile test and the deployment of a rocket system.
Both events took place during the ongoing multinational Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025—the largest and most-sophisticated warfighting exercise ever conducted in Australia.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment via email.
Why It Matters
China has claimed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, overlapping the territorial claims of other regional countries and often leading to standoffs and clashes between their maritime forces. There have been growing concerns over Chinese military presence and activities throughout the Indo-Pacific.
What To Know
The Chinese military—operator of the world's largest naval force by hull count—has been expanding its reach beyond East Asia, including a dual aircraft carrier mission in the broader Western Pacific in June and a circumnavigation of Australia between February and March.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 has previously featured live-fire anti-ship missile activities conducted by the Japanese Army, the Canadian Navy, and a U.S. land-based missile system, showcasing the capabilities of the U.S. and its allies in countering China's naval buildup.
A photo released by the Australian military shows an Australian Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) fired a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) from the Mount Bundey Training Area in the Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
An Australian High Mobility Artillery Rocket System fires a Precision Strike Missile from the Mount Bundey Training Area in the Northern Territory, Australia, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 on July 25, 2025.
An Australian High Mobility Artillery Rocket System fires a Precision Strike Missile from the Mount Bundey Training Area in the Northern Territory, Australia, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 on July 25, 2025.
Australian Defense Department
The Friday live-fire event marked the first time the PrSM was test-fired in Australia, the country's Defense Department said. The missile—which has a maximum range of more than 310 miles—is central to strengthening Australia's land and maritime strike capabilities.
"The test conducted today was two years ahead of schedule and followed the delivery of the first PrSM a year ahead of schedule," according to the Australian military. The missile—codeveloped with the U. S.—is expected to be upgraded to extend its range to over 621 miles.
Australia also received its first HIMARS—a truck-mounted launcher capable of carrying up to two rounds of PrSM—two months ahead of schedule. The South Pacific country has ordered 42 HIMARS launchers, with the first batch arriving from the U.S. in April.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army deployed its HIMARS launchers for the Australia-hosted war game, including one sent to Christmas Island—an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, located 932 miles west of the mainland—for a simulated launch conducted on July 22.
The HIMARS deployment—officially known as HIMARS Rapid Infiltration—demonstrated the ability to rapidly deploy and employ land-based, long-range precision fires by airlifting the launcher to a forward airfield, thereby extending the range of the munition it launched.
A United States High Mobility Artillery Rocket System conducts a simulated launch on Australia's Christmas Island as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 on July 22, 2025.
A United States High Mobility Artillery Rocket System conducts a simulated launch on Australia's Christmas Island as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 on July 22, 2025.
Australian Defense Department
The deployment of the HIMARS—which can hit both land and maritime targets—follows the transit of a Chinese three-ship naval task group near Christmas Island earlier this year.
The remote island, which lies closer to Indonesia than to mainland Australia, is "very strategically positioned" in the Indian Ocean, and the Australian military needs to be able to operate there, said Commodore Peter Leavy, who oversaw the HIMARS deployment.
What People Are Saying
Australian Minister for Defense IndustryPat Conroy said in a press release on Friday: "From delivering HIMARS ahead of schedule to delivering and testing PrSM ahead of schedule, the Albanese Government is modernizing the Australian Army at speed. This successful launch is a significant milestone in the Government's plan to deliver a twenty-five-fold increase to Army's long-range strike capability."
Australia's Defense Department said in a press release on Friday: "[HIMARS Rapid Infiltration] brings deterrence through the unpredictable appearance of land-based, long-range precision fires against land and maritime targets, and is an essential element of littoral warfare, which the Australian Army is now deeply focused on through the enhancement of its forces and capabilities."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 will include additional live-fire missile drills before it concludes.
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