A Military exercise drawing together 19 nations and 35,000 forces begins in Australia
Chinese surveillance ships have monitored naval exercises off the Australian coast during the last four Talisman Sabre exercises and were expected to surveil the current exercise, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said. The Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017. 'It'd be very unusual for them not to observe it,' Conroy told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. 'We'll adjust accordingly. We'll obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia, but we'll also adjust how we conduct those exercises,' Conroy added. Conroy said the Chinese were not yet shadowing ships as of Sunday.
The exercise officially started on Sunday with a ceremony in Sydney attended by Deputy Commanding General of US Army Pacific Lt. Gen. J.B. Vowell and Australia's Chief of Joint Operations Vice-Adm. Justin Jones. The exercise showcasing Australia's defense alliance with the United States started a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to hold his fourth face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday. Albanese said Chinese surveillance of Talisman Sabre would not be an issue raised with Xi. 'That would be nothing unusual. That has happened in the past, and I'll continue to assert Australia's national interest as I do,' Albanese told reporters in Shanghai Monday. Albanese also noted that while he had visited the United States as prime minister five times, he had only been to China twice.
The Australian leader has been criticized at home for failing to secure a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump. 'I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations,' Albanese said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
State Department approves $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine
The State Department said Wednesday that it has approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities and provide armored combat vehicles, coming as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks. The potential sales, which the department said were notified to Congress, include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of US armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems. The approvals come weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a pause on other weapons shipments to Ukraine to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. President Donald Trump then made an abrupt change in posture, pledging publicly earlier this month to continue to send weapons to Ukraine. 'We have to,' Trump said. 'They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.' Trump recently endorsed a plan to have European allies buy US military equipment that can then be transferred to Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how the latest proposed sales related to that arrangement. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US has provided more than $67 billion in weapons and security assistance to Kyiv. Since Trump came back into office, his administration has gone back and forth about providing more military aid to Ukraine, with political pressure to stop US funding of foreign wars coming from the isolationists inside the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill. Over the course of the war, the US has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US approves $322 million in arms sales to Ukraine
The United States on Wednesday announced the approval of $322 million in arms sales to bolster Ukraine's air defenses and its armored combat vehicles. The announcement of the sales comes after Washington temporarily halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine earlier this month even as Kyiv faced heavy Russian missile and drone attacks. The sale of HAWK air defense equipment and sustainment will cost up to $172 million, while Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle equipment and services will total up to $150 million, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said. The proposed HAWK equipment sale 'will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust air defense capability,' DSCA said. And the Bradley equipment and services will help meet Ukraine's 'urgent need to strengthen local sustainment capabilities to maintain high operational rates for United States provided vehicles and weapon systems,' it said. The State Department approved the possible sales and the DSCA provided the required notification to the US Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transactions. The latest proposed military sale to Ukraine follows another announced in early May valued at $310.5 million for F-16 training and sustainment. Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022 and has shown little willingness to end the conflict despite pressure from the United States. Under former president Joe Biden, Washington committed to providing more than $65 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. But President Donald Trump – long skeptical of assistance for Ukraine – has not followed suit, announcing no new military aid packages for Kyiv since he returned to office in January.
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
Top Pakistani general discusses enhancing defense, security ties with Turkish, Azeri officials
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's General Sahir Shamshad Mirza met senior defense officials of Turkiye and Azerbaijan on Wednesday to discuss strengthening existing security and defense ties between the countries, Pakistan Army's media wing said. Islamabad has grown closer to Ankara and Baku after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev openly pledged support for Pakistan during its latest military confrontation with India in May. Mirza, who is the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC) of the Pakistan Army, was attending the 17th International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul, renowned for showcasing cutting-edge innovations and advancements in the defense sector. The Pakistani general held separate meetings with General (retired) Yasar Guler, Turkiye's minister of national defense, Col. General Hasanov Zakir Asgar Oglu, Azerbaijan's minister of defense, Gurbanov Agil Salim Oglu, Azerbaijan's deputy minister of defense and General Metin Gurak, the chief of Turkish general staff. 'Discussions were held on variety of issues of bilateral military cooperation with emphasis on importance of expanding cooperation in the fields of defense and security,' the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said in a statement. 'The dignitaries reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening strategic partnerships and enhancing defense corporation in line with dictates of future geo-strategic environment and technological advancements.' The Turkish and Azeri officials reaffirmed their commitment to deepen strategic partnerships and enhance defense cooperation, keeping in mind the future geo-strategic environment and technological advancements, the ISPR added. Earlier this month, Turkiye's defense and foreign ministers arrived in Pakistan for a series of high-level meetings that reportedly focused on counterterrorism, defense cooperation and broader strategic ties. Pakistan and Turkiye have maintained close defense ties in recent years. Under a 2018 agreement, Türkiye is delivering four MILGEM-class corvettes to the Pakistan Navy, with two built in Istanbul and two at Karachi Shipyard under a technology transfer arrangement. The first vessel, PNS Babur, was delivered in 2023.
