Thailand is set to participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest military exercise ever conducted in Australia, scheduled for mid-July.
The revelation came during an Anzac Day commemorative service held on Friday at Hellfire Pass in Kanchanaburi province, where the Australian and New Zealand embassies in Thailand marked the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.
The solemn dawn service honoured Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought and died in all wars, particularly remembering those who perished as prisoners of war during the construction of the Thai-Burma Railway under Japanese forces at Hellfire Pass.
Following the ceremony, Admiral David Johnston, chief of the Australian Defence Force, highlighted the significance of the Anzac tradition and reaffirmed strong defence ties between Australia and Thailand.
Adm Johnston said that Thailand will be one of 19 countries participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, which will be conducted across Australia in July and will involve more than 30,000 military personnel.
"Thailand's participation demonstrates our shared commitment to regional security and our growing defence cooperation," said Adm Johnston. "This is not just about warfighting capabilities, but about building trust, interoperability, and people-to-people connections."
Now in its 11th iteration, Talisman Sabre is the largest combined training exercise between the Australian Defence Force and the US military, and it serves as a key demonstration of their strategic alliance.
The 2025 edition will focus on multi-domain operations, including amphibious landings, airborne insertions, firepower demonstrations, and joint combat training across land, air, sea, space, and cyber domains.
Other participating countries include Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Tonga, and the United Kingdom. Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam will attend as observers.
Adm Johnston emphasised that, beyond combat readiness, the exercise enhances joint capabilities in areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief -- skills that have become increasingly relevant amid recent natural disasters, including the recent earthquake in Thailand.
"From peacekeeping to disaster response, joint exercises like these allow us to operate seamlessly together, under shared objectives, and with mutual trust," he noted.
When asked about strengthening bilateral defence relations, Adm Johnston pointed to historical ties dating back to the end of World War II, when Thai forces assisted Australia in recovering and repatriating the remains of Australian soldiers from Hellfire Pass.