Again in 2025, Serco was proud to be supporting the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in undertaking Exercise Talisman Sabre across Australian waters during July and August.
As the largest bilateral combined training activity between the ADF and United States military, Serco has been actively involved in Talisman Sabre for more than 15 years. This year the exercise will see over 40,000 military personnel take part from 19 nations, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and other partner nations across the Pacific and Asia.
Serco’s role in this major exercise draws on capability from our Defence Marine Support Services (DMSS) contract, including the design and construction of missile practice targets, fuelling for visiting naval vessels, towing and berthing of participating craft, facilitating international personnel transfers, laying of practise mines on the seabed and supporting the Royal Australian Navy’s Autonomous Warrior program in the Jervis Bay and Eastern Australian Exercise Areas.
This year Serco’s medical teams stationed in ADF bases across the Northern Territory and Northern Queensland also played a critical role in supporting the health and wellbeing of participating military personnel. Our Medical Officers and Nurses on the ground provided health care services throughout the event.
In 2023, Serco supported the inshore maritime operations component of Talisman Sabre, by conducting harbour services, which this year has been expanded to include the construction, transfer and installation of three maritime target platforms. These targets are to support live fire exercises being conducted by the United States Army, Navy and Royal Canadian Navy in the waters of Northern Australia Exercise Area.
The three targets challenged Serco engineers, with each one requiring very specific modifications to align to the needs of each live fire exercise. These modifications were based on the Mk3 target.
Serco Managing Director, Defence Peter Behrendt shared how proud he is of the work being done by Serco’s engineers, general purpose hands, masters and site managers stationed at HMAS Coonawarra, Kuttabul, and Creswell, who have been integral in helping the RAN prepare for Talisman Sabre 2025.
“This year is the 11th and largest iteration of the exercise, and our staff are vital in supporting the smooth running of the event. Over the 45 days more than 40 Serco personnel were actively involved across sea and land,” said Mr Behrendt
“Since April this year the team has been working alongside the Joint Fires and Live Fire Exercise Planner from the Department of Defence to bring the vision of the Royal Canadian Navy and both the United States Army and Navy to life. The construction of these complex targets shows a deep understanding of the needs of our customers, and we were very honoured to play an active part in the making this exercise a success.”
"This year’s exercise highlights the critical role Serco played in enabling complex joint operations. From towage and berthing support to logistics coordination, our contribution reflects the strength of our relationship with the Australian Defence Force, as well as the Defence Forces of other participating nations, and our commitment to operational excellence."
“Supporting Talisman Sabre 2025 is yet another example of how Serco stands as a trusted and capable partner to Defence. Our involvement across multiple domains showcases not only our technical expertise but also the enduring reliability we bring to Australia’s national security efforts.”
Serco supports design, build and transfer of targets for Talisman Sabre 2025
Serco has supported the delivery and placement of three custom-made targets for the United States Navy, United States Army and Royal Canadian Navy as part of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre.
The targets, designed and built by Serco’s Defence Marine Support Services (DMSS) contract engineers at HMAS Creswell, were used in live fire exercises to showcase the capability of the visiting vessels from America and Canada.
Serco’s engineers designed and constructed these targets based on the Mk3 target, which included:
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full alloy mesh deck with 3000x3000 work area
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900x900 frame for the mounting of antennas, boosters and aerials
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900x900 radar reflector and 4 x corner reflectors
The targets which can load bear around 544 kg each contained complex structures to simulate and mimic a large defence vessel at sea. They were designed with a bridal and were towed by Serco crews into position to support these live fire exercises.
Serco have worked alongside the Department of Defence to support their requests and we were very proud of the team’s ability to rapidly deliver the target builds to support the critical live fire exercises, said DMSS Contract Manager Chris Doolin.
“Designing, building and transporting these targets, whilst remaining agile to support customer needs is something we have taken great pride in. Our engineers intimately understand the needs of vessels participating the live-fire exercises and we worked closely with our customers to collaborate on the final build.”
“The distance alone to get these targets to site is more than 4,100 km by road and is credit to the Serco crew who seamlessly made this happen.”
Serco deliver health care services to ADF personnel throughout Talisman Sabre 2025
In partnership with Bupa, Serco has been proud to support Talisman Sabre 2025 through the delivery of health care services to ADF personnel and other participating nations. Over the last six years, Serco and Bupa have together played a critical role in delivering healthcare to the Australian Defence community. Our shared commitment has enabled us to support the physical and mental wellbeing of ADF members during times of conflict, crisis, national emergencies and on an ongoing day to day basis.
