FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — The 8th Theater Sustainment Command hosts the Initial Exercise Sustainment Conference, a sustainment-focused planning conference in preparation of Talisman Sabre 2027 on Fort Shafter, Hawaii from Sept. 21-25, 2026.
TS27 is a biennial-bilateral exercise between Australia and the United States, with multinational forces participating throughout Australia. The exercise integrates joint combat readiness, multi-domain operations, and interoperability among participating allies and partners, providing an environment to train and validate the ability to plan, synchronize, and execute combined joint operations.
“When you look across the exercise campaign plan, this one sits …one of the signature keystone events where you have a significant amount of combat power and command and control within a very important piece of geography,” said Maj. Gen. Frederick Crist, commanding general of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
TS27 is an operationally focused, purpose-built field training exercise that demonstrates the ability of allies and partners to generate and employ a combined joint force in support of collective security throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise planning framework is designed to enhance operational-level coherence across tactical activities and ensure alignment of tactical actions with operational objectives.
TS27’s framework emphasizes multinational participation and multi-domain integration across land, maritime, air, space, and cyberspace. These efforts are intended to strengthen shared messaging, operational posture, interoperability, and combined joint warfighting capabilities.
“It’s all about being able to bring incredible combat capability, exercising with the intention of getting better and building readiness, getting closer with interoperability a little bit more,” said Crist. “And at the end of the day, having a capability that has a deterrent effect.”
This year marks the 13th iteration of Talisman Sabre with a focus on Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations, Air Combat Operations and Long Range Logistics, Combined Joint Forcible Entry Operations and Non-Kinetic Operations.
Planners from 8th TSC, Australian Defense Forces, and U.S. military service members worked together during this time to plan and refine the logistics of TS27. While normally geographically dispersed, this opportunity provides the atmosphere for interoperability between the ADF and U.S. military forces.
