Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty opens the new Shoalwater Bay training facilities. Photo: ADF.
New and expanded joint Australian and Singaporean military training facilities have been opened at Shoalwater Bay, about 100 km north of Rockhampton.
Developed under the Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the new facilities include two urban operations live fire facilities, combined air-land ranges, camp accommodation for up to 2000 personnel, as well as new medical, administration, exercise control facilities and supporting infrastructure.
Australia’s Secretary of the Department of Defence Greg Moriarty, and Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How officially opened the new facilities on 13 November.
The opening of the facilities coincides with the start of Exercise Trident, a biennial joint training exercise between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
The exercise has grown in scope and scale since it started in 2013 and is designed to enhance interoperability between the ADF and SAF.
For the 2024 iteration, it will focus on airmobile, littoral and urban combat operations. It will involve more than 1900 SAF and ADF personnel, two ships, and include a combined science and technology component focusing on unmanned aerial system (UAS) interoperability.
Singapore already has a large contingent of SAF personnel based in or regularly rotating through Australia for training, largely due to the very small island nation-state having very limited space for its own facilities.
These include No 127 Squadron flying CH-47F Chinook helicopters based at Oakey near Toowoomba in Queensland, and No 130 Squadron at RAAF Base Pearce near Perth flying PC-21 advanced trainers.
On top of these, regular rotations of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft deploy for exercises and to utilise Australia’s vast airspace and military ranges. Most recently, the RSAF conducted three one-month-long deployments of fighter jets to RAAF Pearce, including F-15SG Eagles and F-16C/D Falcons.
The SAF also regularly utilises urban training and camp facilities at the Greenvale Training Area west of Townsville.
The US also hosts large RSAF contingents, with F-16 fighters based in Arizona, F-15SG fighters based in Idaho, and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, also based in Arizona.
In Europe, an RSAF detachment of 12 M346 Master advanced jet trainers is based near the French city of Bordeaux.
The expanded facilities at Shoalwater Bay will enable up to 6600 SAF personnel to train for nine-week periods every year.
Mr Moriarty said the new facilities would enhance training outcomes for Australia and Singapore. “The expansion of the training area will enable the ADF and SAF to concurrently conduct our own unilateral training, and also support enhanced bilateral training and complexity,” he said.
Exercise Trident 2024 is designed to enhance both nations’ ability to project a combined land force from sea-to-shore, manoeuvre inland and secure an objective.
“This is the latest milestone in our nations’ comprehensive strategic partnership, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to learn from each other in a joint exercise environment,” Mr Moriarty said.
