Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holding a joint press conference at the Parliament House in Canberra on Oct 8. - ST
CANBERRA: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will get more access to training areas and facilities in Australia under a new pact between the two countries.
This means increased provisions for SAF exercises in Queensland’s Shoalwater Bay and Greenvale training areas, the Ministry of Defence said.
It will also establish a fighter training detachment for a rotating deployment of Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel in Australia. Such overseas training detachments are conducted owing to airspace constraints in Singapore.
The reciprocal defence pact will also see the Australian Defence Force’s vessels and aircraft make more frequent port calls and stopovers in Singapore. This comes as Australia moves to step up its regional presence.
The agreement was inked on Wednesday (Oct 8) in the Australian capital of Canberra, ahead of the 10th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting, where Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2.0.
“On defence cooperation, we see Australia as a resident power in Asia, and your continued presence in this part of the world contributes to stability, security for all the countries in Asia,” PM Wong said in a joint press conference to launch the CSP 2.0.
The wide-ranging partnership agreement comes as PM Wong made his maiden visit to Australia as head of government, with stops in Sydney and Canberra.
On Singapore’s part, this means strong facilitation for Australia to extend its security presence in South-East Asia and beyond, noted PM Wong.
The CSP 2.0 will see strengthened cooperation between the two countries in several areas like supply chain resilience, and the green and digital economies, among others.
On the defence front, Singapore and Australia have also agreed to deepen collaboration in existing and new strategy areas such as defence logistics and supply chains, as well as in defence science and technology.
Professional defence exchanges will also be stepped up, in areas like future warfighting concepts, joint collective training and modernisation.
The signing of the Enhanced Defence Cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) also comes as the SAF celebrates 50 years of training in Australia, and 35 years of Exercise Wallaby in Rockhampton. The exercise, being held from Sept 7 to Nov 2, is the SAF’s largest overseas training exercise.
The MoU is one of 20 that were signed under the upgraded CSP 2.0, which comprises 80 initiatives and 11 dialogues.
It builds on a CSP first signed in 2015 that has seen more than 110 completed initiatives across economics and trade, defence and foreign affairs, science and innovation, people-to-people links, the digital economy and the green economy.
On Oct 8, PM Wong also called on several officials, including Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn.
In a post on X, he said they discussed the CSP 2.0, as well as creating economic opportunities and equipping societies to face modern-day challenges.
He also met Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley, saying in another post on X that Singapore values the bipartisan support for the CSP over the past decade.
PM Wong laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and attended a dinner reception for about 200 overseas Singaporeans later in the day.
In a Facebook post, he noted how the Singaporeans, from students to professionals, are making their mark across Australia while staying closely connected to home.
“Our partnership with Australia continues to grow under the CSP 2.0, opening new opportunities for collaboration and exchange,” he added.
He and his delegation will next head to Auckland, New Zealand, from Oct 9 to 11. - The Straits Times/ANN
