3MDTF Sets New Benchmarks at Talisman Sabre 2025

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The 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (3MDTF) marked historic achievements during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, deploying advanced weaponry and enhancing interoperability with allies in Australia’s Northern Territory.

From July 13 to August 4, 2025, the United States Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (3MDTF) showcased groundbreaking capabilities during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the largest bilateral military exercise between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the United States, involving over 35,000 personnel from 19 nations. Held across northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, the 3MDTF achieved a historic first by deploying a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system outside the continental U.S., alongside a Mid-Range Capability (MRC) live-fire exercise that sank a maritime target using a Standard Missile-6 on July 15, 2025, in the Northern Territory, per a U.S. Army report.

The 3MDTF, under Colonel Wade Germann’s command, demonstrated advanced command and control (C2) interoperability with the Australian 10th Brigade, coordinating multi-domain operations across land, sea, air, space, and cyber. “This exercise validated our ability to deploy and integrate long-range precision fires with allies,” Germann told GlobalSecurity.org, emphasizing the milestone in land-based maritime strike capabilities. The task force’s efforts included the first operational use of the LRHW, with B Battery, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, briefing capabilities in the Northern Territory on July 9, 2025, enhancing deterrence against regional threats like China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems, per DVIDS.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, held at locations like Shoalwater Bay and RAAF Base Curtin, highlighted allied unity, with participation from nations including Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. The 3MDTF’s integration of Australian and U.K. personnel under AUKUS Pillar 2 agreements bolstered its role as a combined headquarters, per Army.mil. Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, U.S. Army Pacific deputy commander, noted the exercise’s scale signals a commitment to regional stability, telling the Defense Writers Group that collective readiness deters aggression. As the 3MDTF executed precision strikes and cyber operations, it set a new standard for multi-domain warfare, reinforcing the U.S.-Australia alliance’s strategic edge in the Indo-Pacific.