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Australia and Singapore have committed to “increase the tempo” of navy and air force cooperation, according to comments made during a recent Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee meeting.
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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong and Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell have met with their Singaporean counterparts this week.
The Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee meeting is an opportunity to increase cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including across defence and security, trade and investment, the green and digital economies, science and innovation, education and the arts.
The ministers also met with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and conducted separate bilateral meetings. The deputy prime minister also met with his counterpart, Dr Ng Eng Hen, while the foreign minister met with Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and the minister for trade met with his counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.
“We operate through the main air base and naval base here in Singapore, and we want to look at ways in which we can increase the tempo of visits of both our Navy and our Air Force, and we will work together in respect of particularising that in the lead-up to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership 2.0 next year,” said Deputy PM Marles, speaking at a joint press conference at the Australia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee meeting.
“In Australia, there is significant training which is undertaken now by the Singaporean Army at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, north of Rockhampton in Queensland.
“And there are other projects which are currently being pursued in terms of other training opportunities for the Singaporean Army in Australia. Again, we want to look at all of that to see how we can meet Singapore’s needs in respect of this.
“And the final point I make is that there is training today, there continues to be training, as there has for the last 30 years, of Singaporean fast jet pilots. And that’s occurred at RAAF Base Pearce, which is inside of Perth, on the outskirts of Perth. And again, we want to look at more opportunities for Singapore to have access to and operate from RAAF Base Pearce.”
Singapore is one of Australia’s closest partners and next year will celebrate 60 years of bilateral diplomatic relations.
“It’s a strategic trust that allows us to use each other’s geographic advantages ... over the last seven decades, since FPDA and our founding, Australia’s presence has added to regional stability,” Minister of Defence of Singapore Dr Ng Eng Hen said.
“So from our perspective, since we are small and CSP 1 has worked very well with the developments of Shoalwater Bay, how do we increase more trading opportunities for soldiers, our airmen and our navy? That’s what we’ve been discussing.
“From Australia’s perspective, because they see regional stability as integral to their national stability, and it makes sense, if their supply chains are choked here, Australia suffers, how can they add to the regional stability? And how can Singapore accommodate more ships and planes flying through our naval bases and air bases. So it’s no secret, and I think we can come up with something which is mutually beneficial.”
