Canadian warship joins multinational exercise off Australia
A Canadian warship has arrived off the coast of Australia to conduct war games with the host nation, alongside forces from the United States and other Pacific Rim countries.
HMCS Calgary is joining the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre, which brings more than 17,000 military personnel from several partner countries to the Coral Sea off Australia's northeast coast.
The ship’s arrival was no doubt overshadowed by the appearance of two uninvited – though not wholly unexpected – guests in the region.
Australia's defence minister confirmed in a news conference Saturday that a second Chinese surveillance vessel had arrived off the Australian coast, presumably to monitor the large-scale exercise.
"We do now have a second vessel and obviously we expect that the Chinese would conduct themselves within the rules of international law," said Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton.
"It’s also a reminder to the reality now in the Indo-Pacific that the Chinese have invested into all of their assets," Dutton added. "They have a production line of submarines and frigates like we’ve not seen since world-war time and we need to be very conscious of that."
The defence minister said the Australians anticipated that the Chinese navy would deploy one intelligence-gathering ship to the exercise this year, as it had in 2017 and 2019.
"We expected the deployment of the vessel," Dutton told reporters. "We’re surprised that there are two vessels but obviously the Chinese have made a decision to have a greater presence."
Talisman Sabre is scheduled to run until mid-August but the main thrust of the exercise is underway until July 31.
Australian and U.S. forces account for the bulk of the personnel attending the land, air and sea exercises, with forces from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom also in attendance.
Delegations from France, Germany, India and Indonesia are participating as observers.
HMCS Calgary’s participation in the exercise comes at the tail end of the vessel’s deployment on Operation Projection.
The British Columbia-based warship is set to return to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in early September.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.