A military exercise drawing together 19 nations and 35,000 forces begins in Australia

The largest-ever war fighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, is underway and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia. This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations are taking part in the drills over three weeks. Australian Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy says Chinese surveillance ships, who have monitored previous naval drills off the Australian coast, are expected to surveil the current exercise.