FPDA Member-Nations Conduct Joint Military Exercises in Singapore

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore have agreed to stage more complex military drills in the region this year involving drones, fifth-generation fighter planes, and surveillance aircraft.

The announcement on Friday by defense ministers from members of the 53-year-old Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense meeting in Singapore comes as the tempo of military exercises in Asia increases along with tensions between global powers.

"We are increasing the assets that we are bringing to bear in exercises so (at) Bersama Lima later this year, for the first time, Australia will be contributing F-35 Joint Strike Fighters," said Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.

Bersama Lima, "Five Together" in the Malay language, is an annual military exercise held by the five powers. It was held last year in Malaysia.

Marles said running more complicated exercises was an example of increasing ambition in the agenda of the FPDA. New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins said a P-8 Poseidon would be deployed to Singapore for the first time as part of the drills.

The P-8 aircraft is the premier U.S. submarine hunter-tracker and is increasingly deployed in the region against China's submarine patrols.

Singapore is close to important submarine channels in Indonesia linking the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

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Marles said the FPDA was "not about China" but rather about "our desire to work closely together". Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said this year's exercises would involve drones, among other "non-conventional" elements.

British representative Paul Wyatt, director general for security policy, said Britain planned sending an aircraft carrier to the region in 2025 and had discussed how the tour might fit with the FPDA's exercise program.

The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) will be expanding cooperation into non-conventional areas, such as counterterrorism, maritime security, humanitarian and disaster relief, as well as cyber and drone warfare.

The FPDA - formed in 1971 against the backdrop of armed conflict across Southeast Asia - comprises Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who hosted the 12th FPDA Defence Ministers' Meeting at the Conrad Singapore Orchard on Friday (May 31), said the session was “very successful”.

TACKLING NON-CONVENTIONAL ISSUES

Speaking during a joint press conference after the meeting, Dr Ng said the leaders agreed that to keep the group relevant moving forward, it will work to boost its conventional war-fighting capabilities by including more high-end equipment.

“On the non-conventional, we did discuss and deliberate on the need for us to build capabilities in areas such as counterterrorism, maritime security, humanitarian as well as disaster relief. These will be the new areas that we will look into apart from the traditional threats,” said Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles added that the group will also be looking at areas such as cyber and drone warfare.

He said that Australia will bring its F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to the next Exercise Bersama Lima – the joint military exercise between the FPDA’s member states – later this year.

"That will be the first time we'll have a fifth-generation aircraft participating in Bersama Lima," he added.

New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins added that her country will also deploy its P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the first time in that exercise.

Also at the meeting was the United Kingdom's Director General for Security Policy Paul Wyatt, who said that his country will look at how it can incorporate its upcoming Carrier Strike Group deployment into the FPDA’s plans.

REUTERS | CNA

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