For the first time, the Philippine Army (PA) is taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest bilateral exercise with the United States.

In a statement Tuesday, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said 35,000 troops from 19 partner nations, including the Philippines, will take part in the three-week event from July 13 to Aug. 4.

The exercise, hosted by Australian Defense Force (ADF), will take place across various training locations in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

“Exercise Talisman Sabre is by far the largest-ever military exercise hosted by Australia, bringing together about 35,000 troops from 19 partner nations, including the Philippines,” Dema-ala said.

The Philippine delegation, which arrived in Australia on July 5, consists of seven personnel from the PA, three from the Philippine Marine Corps, five from the Philippine Navy, and 17 from the Philippine Air Force.

The delegation was led by PA commander Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, representing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

Aside from the Philippines, other partner nations in the exercises are Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom.

Over the next three weeks, they will train together with other contingents from other 18 partner nations in live-fire exercises and field training activities, incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force maneuvers, as well as air combat and maritime operations.

The large-scale exercises, which will span sea, land, air, space and cyber domains, will be conducted across various locations in Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Christmas Island.

For the first time, activities will also be conducted outside of Australia, in Papua New Guinea.

“The PA’s historic debut in Exercise Talisman Sabre marks a significant step in advancing its commitment to global cooperation,” Dema-ala said.

“By joining like-minded nations, the Army aims to build collective capabilities to effectively address emerging security challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region,” he added. (PNA)