U.S. and Partners Conclude Month of Military Exercises in the Pacific While Eyeing China

The Department of Defense concluded large-scale military exercises in the Indo-Pacific on August 8 that honed skills critical to thwarting potential Chinese aggression. REFORPAC 2025 focused on demonstrating and improving the U.S. military’s ability to surge aircraft throughout the theatre and operate alongside allies and partners like Japan. U.S. forces also participated in Talisman Sabre in Australia, which brought together troops from 19 nations in a series of air, naval, and land exercises.

The exercises unfolded as Beijing has escalated its coercive military drills encircling Taiwan and preparing for potential aggression against the island. Exacerbating concerns, Beijing is deepening its cooperation with Moscow, including combined Chinese-Russian naval drills in the Sea of Japan. Amid these growing threats, exercises like REFORPAC and Talisman Sabre demonstrate the value of forward-deployed U.S. forces operating with allies and partners, as well as the value of including Taiwan in such exercises to increase interoperability and bolster deterrence.

Exercises Prepare the Pentagon for a Large-Scale Conflict

REFORPAC 2025 was part of a “Department-Level Exercise” series that included roughly 400 U.S. and coalition aircraft operating at over 50 locations spanning 3,000 miles and included key regional partners such as Japan. The exercise practiced surging and sustaining fighter, command-and-control, transport, and refueling aircraft throughout the Pacific region. The exercise also tested the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operational concept, a key component of the service’s overall strategy in the Pacific, in which aircraft operate from dispersed locations, including ‘pop-up airbases,’ throughout the region. This approach is vital to enable the survivability and continued operation of U.S. air forces in a war in the Pacific with China but presents serious sustainment and logistical challenges.

U.S. forces also participated in Talisman Sabre, a three-week exercise held in Australia that concluded on August 4. The exercise included roughly 40,000 troops from 19 nations, including U.S. and UK aircraft carriers. The training series included rehearsing long-range fires — such as Australia’s first successful live-fire of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) — amphibious operations, and rapid employment of forces. The exercise also saw the U.S. Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) successfully deploy its Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) against a maritime target, its first such use in Australia.

China Escalates Aggression Against Taipei and Coordination With Moscow

These exercises came in the wake of Chinese air, sea, and land exercises aimed specifically at Taiwan, including a simulated blockade of the island, this spring. Taiwan concluded the 41st iteration of its annual Han Kuang military exercise on July 18. The exercise focused on defeating a Chinese invasion of the island.

In addition to its aggressive actions against Taiwan and other U.S. partners, Beijing has stepped up its coordination with Moscow. The Chinese and Russian navies recently finished the annual “Joint Sea 2025” exercise, which included anti-submarine warfare drills, simulating an attack on an amphibious vessel, and joint patrols in the Sea of Japan.

Doubling Down on Allies and Partners

The vast area covered by these exercises underscores why maintaining forward-deployed forces in-theatre is critical to maintaining deterrence, lest Beijing believe it could accomplish its objectives before reinforcements arrive. Regularly conducting exercises like REFORPAC and Talisman Sabre is crucial to ensuring that additional U.S. forces can be surged into the region quickly and sustained in the event of a conflict. These exercises also present important opportunities for each service to continue enhancing its ability to create dilemmas for Chinese military planners, embodied in capabilities like the Army’s evolving long-range maritime strike platforms and operational concepts like the Air Force’s ACE.

At a time when China and Russia are increasing their cooperation, exercises like REFORPAC and Talisman Sabre also demonstrate the importance of having allies and partners. Expanding the involvement of regional partners in such exercises, including Taiwan, would give them the opportunity to both practice and demonstrate their interoperability with America and its allies.

Cameron McMillan is a research analyst at FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), where Roc Iore is an intern. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.