The Royal Australian Navy has completed Exercise SINGAROO, an annual joint military exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy held in south-east Asia.
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The 25th iteration of Exercise SINGAROO involved the Royal Australian Navy’s guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart, auxiliary oiler HMAS Sirius and an embarked MH-60R helicopter, which joined four Singaporean warships, a submarine, and aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said Exercise SINGAROO, which is built on existing shared mariner skills between both navies, enhances professional ties and interoperability.
“Operating effectively together at sea relies on regular joint training opportunities to improve our interoperability,” Minister Reynolds said.
“This three-day exercise underlines the importance of military-to-military cooperation as an avenue to hone our expertise and build on our ability to work together.
“This year marks a quarter century of Exercise SINGAROO, underlining the long-standing nature of our defence relationship with Singapore, which shares our commitment to regional security.”
HMA Ships Hobart and Sirius departed their home ports in June for a Regional Presence Deployment exercise in south-east Asia and Hawaii, before participating in Exercise SINGAROO as they returned transit through the region.
Minister Reynolds added that the broader Regional Presence Deployment was a demonstration of Australia’s commitment to sustaining strong defence relationships with regional counterparts and fostering security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
[Related: Royal Australian Navy deploys to RIMPAC, south-east Asia]