EX KOCHA SINGA ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE

The Singapore Army and the Royal Thai Army (RTA) concluded the annual bilateral exercise codenamed Kocha Singa yesterday.

Held from 22 Feb to 2 Mar, this year's exercise involved 689 participants from the SAF's 3rd Battalion, Singapore Guards, and 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade as well as the RTA's 2nd Infantry Battalion and 15th Infantry Regiment.

Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Murai Urban Training Facility, Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Chan Chun Sing noted that Exercise Kocha Singa is an important exercise that symbolises the best of defence relations between Singapore and Thailand.

Commander-in-Chief of RTA General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who was in Singapore for an introductory visit, co-officiated the closing ceremony with MG Chan.

Praising participants for working hand-in-hand in the successful conduct of the exercise despite differences in language and culture, MG Chan said: "The soldiers of our armies have proven that, when presented with a common mission, they are able to work together and achieve mission success."

"I am confident that Exercise Kocha Singa will further strengthen the SAF's (Singapore Armed Forces') relations with the RTA so that we can operate seamlessly in future should the need arise," he added.

This year's exercise was the 13th in the series since it was first conducted in 1997.

Highlights of the exercise included technical handling sessions of the Singapore Assault Rifle (SAR) 21 for the RTA soldiers as well as visits to training simulators like the Infantry Gunnery & Tactical Simulation and Individual Marksmanship Training. The exercise was capped off with a battalion-level attack incorporating a heliborne exercise the night before.

For first-time participant Master Sergeant 1st Class (MSG 1st Class) Sanong Impun from the RTA, the SAR 21 technical handling session was a personal highlight of the exercise.

The Company Sergeant Major, whose battalion uses the M-16 rifle in Thailand, was all praises for the locally-designed rifle, commenting that it was more compact than the M-16 and very easy to use.

'Through this exercise, I had many chances to use and learn about the SAR 21, which gave us greater precision in firing,' said MSG 1st Class Impun.

The SAF and the Royal Thai Armed Forces interact regularly through exercises, visits, courses and other professional exchanges. These interactions are mutually beneficial and have strengthened the professionalism and camaraderie between the officers and men of the two armies.