Singapore and Australian militaries bond over football and 'drop bears' in bilateral exercise with over 1,900 troops

SHOALWATER BAY, Australia - Against the choppy waters, two fast craft from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) rapidly approached the shores..

As soon as the ramps were lifted, dozens of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) hit the sand. They moved quickly, supported by two Apache helicopters from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) hovering above to watch out for enemy movement as they secured the beach.

The training on Saturday (Nov 9) morning is part of the bilateral Exercise Trident at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia, where more than 1,900 troops from the Singapore Army, RSN, RSAF and the ADF are taking part in a vast space four times the size of Singapore.

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Enriquez Michael Zachary, Singapore Armed Forces lead for Exercise Trident, said this year's edition, from November 6 to 15, is a testament to the strong relationship between the Singapore and Australian militaries. 

"It's important to hold training exercises with the Australians because we are their partners in the region," he said. "It allows us to learn with one another and build friendships… it's the bonds and ties that matter."

Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamad Fahrul Saaid, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards, told AsiaOne that his men bonded with their Australian counterparts through sports and jokes.

“The soldiers had a bit of fun today. They played football and it was rugby yesterday,” he said.  

"We have a similar kind of vibe… and we shared with them about drop bears (a fictional carnivorous version of koalas)," he said. "This is the kind of inside joke that we have with the Australians."

Standards of Australian troops something for SAF to learn from 

As part of the ship-to-shore operation during the exercise, the soldiers will embark on to the RSS Persistence and RSS Endurance.

The two ships from the RSN are known as landing ships tank (LST), which are large transport ships capable of carrying helicopters, troops and their equipment.

The RSAF's Heron-1, an unmanned aerial vehicle that is participating in Trident for the first time, will conduct surveillance on the beach before the soldiers' arrival.

This will be followed by sea re-supply operations from the 3rd SAF Transport Battalion's lighter amphibious re-supply cargo, with the RSAF helicopters providing close air support for the ground troops, who will move inland to capture an urban objective.

Another training mission will see the RSAF's CH-47F chinooks and H225M helicopters airlift troops from the LSTs, before dropping them off to secure an objective in the jungle. 

This year’s Trident is the first time that the SAF and ADF are simulating the two missions in the same exercise, said the Ministry of Defence.

Previous editions of the exercise, first held in 2013, saw the troops practicing to either secure a jungle or urban objective. 

Major Daniel Hu, the commanding officer of RSS Persistence, said that conducting both ship-to-shore operations via air and sea this year will give his crew of full-time and operationally ready national servicemen more opportunities to train in a different environment than what they are used to. 

"What we are trying to do, especially for our NSmen who are back with us for once a year, is to refresh their procedures in benign conditions in Singapore first before we bring them up [here] where it is more adverse," he added.

SLTC Enriquez said that the standards of the ADF is something that the SAF are hoping to learn from.

"When it comes to some standard operating procedures, we are not so different. Discussions are open minded and very professional… and we are very willing to train together."

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chingshijie@asiaone.com