S'PORE, BRUNEI CO-HOST MULTILATERAL EXERCISE

About 3,500 personnel, 18 ships, 25 aircraft and 40 Special Forces teams came together on 2 May for one of the region's largest multinational exercises ever.

The Maritime Security (MS) and Counter-Terrorism (CT) exercise, jointly hosted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) under the ambit of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus, will take place in both Brunei and Singapore.

Held from 2 to 12 May, the exercise begins with the MS phase where naval elements of participating countries will train together in Brunei and the South China Sea. This segment is co-organised by Brunei and New Zealand. The CT phase, which is co-conducted by Singapore and Australia, will take place in Singapore.

RBAF Commander Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Major-General (MG) Dato Paduka Seri Mohd Tawih bin Abdullah said at the opening ceremony on 3 May that terrorism is a threat that cannot be underestimated. He noted that the ASEAN region, in particular, has also experienced the spread of influence from radical groups.

"The challenges have proven to be more complex and very often, crossed between borders. We are constantly tested and are required to conduct multiple combat and inter-agency operations in countering various emerging threats," he said. The opening ceremony was held at the Muara Naval Base in Brunei.

Pehin MG Tawih added that extensive exercises such as this can help build trust, sustain effective partnership and bonds of communication between countries.

The exercise directors - the SAF's Director Joint Operations Brigadier-General (BG) Desmond Tan and RBAF's Joint Force Commander BG Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat were also present at the ceremony.

BG Tan said that that the MS segment was very timely for the region and beyond and was a good way for countries to show their commitment and resolution to ensure that terrorism challenges are tackled.

"ASEAN is right in the middle of maritime domain area and the freedom of navigation, straits and lines of communication is important from not just the military, but (also) the trade perspective as well," explained BG Tan.

The MS phase will see scenarios such as counter-piracy and search and rescue being played out while the CT phase will comprise professional exchanges, area orientation and task familiarisation.

Elaborating on the exercise scenario, BG Hamzah said: "There is a terrorist group from an unknown country who will be disturbing our seas. We have planned various activities conducted by various nations at sea, such as search and rescue. It will culminate in an assault on an identified target ship and it will be a culmination of maritime security leading into counter-terrorism action."

The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah will be visiting the exercise with the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM)-Plus leaders on 4 May.

The ADMM-Plus exercise involves militaries from the 10 ASEAN countries, and the eight "Plus" countries Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.