The Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have kicked off their signature joint amphibious exercise Trident in Queensland, Australia. Exercise Trident runs from September 23 to October 3 at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area and involves more than 1,600 personnel from the armed forces of Australia and Singapore. The Singapore Armed Forces has conducted military training in Australia for more than 30 years, supporting both of armed forces, and bolster interoperability and strengthen bilateral ties in support of common regional interests.
Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock (LHD) HMAS Adelaide will join Republic of Singapore Navy vessels RSS Persistence and RSS Endurance to project a landing force ashore for the exercise. HMAS Adelaide, the first LHD to participate in the exercise, recently deployed from its homeport of Sydney and will return home in December. The two countries are continuing joint maneuvers after the Australian-hosted multinational exercise Kakadu, during which Formidable-class frigate RSS Steadfast took on the role of surface warfare commander in a search and destroy mission.
“These exercises help support the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Singapore, who are jointly developing key training areas in Queensland under the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative. Australia is proud to count Singapore as one of its closest partners. Our defense relationship is characterized by trust and friendship, underpinned by our shared commitment to the region. Exercise Trident enables us to deepen our military-to-military ties and shows how closely we can work together when it counts,” Australian defense minister Richard Marles said.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s F-15SG and F-16D+ fighter jets and an A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft also took part in the exercise. Exercise Trident forms part of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership — a deal aimed at jointly developing key training areas in Queensland under the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative. The SAF and the ADF share a long history of military cooperation, with extensive interactions that include bilateral and multilateral exercises, mutual visits, professional exchanges, the cross attendance of personnel at professional courses, and operational deployments such as in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
