SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA HOLD JOINT MARITIME EXERCISE

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) are conducting Exercise Singaroo - a bilateral maritime exercise - from 5 to 10 Sep. The opening ceremony was held at Coonawarra Naval Base in Darwin, Australia, on 5 Sep and was officiated by Colonel (COL) Soh Cheow Guan, Commanding Officer of the RSN's 188 Squadron and Commodore Philip Spedding, Director-General Maritime Operations of the RAN.

This year's exericse, hosted by the RAN, will be held off the coast of Darwin where both navies will conduct a series of naval exercises involving maritime surveillance, combined anti-submarine and air defence manoeuvres, as well as live firings.

The RSN sent a frigate RSS Tenacious, a missile corvette RSS Vigour and a Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The RAN sent frigates HMAS Arunta and HMAS Toowoomba, a submarine HMAS Dechaineux and several aircraft.

This year's Exercise Singaroo is the 14th in the series. The long-running bilateral maritime exercise highlights the close defence ties shared by the two countries. It provides an opportunity for the two navies to enhance interoperability and strengthen professional and personal ties.