SAF’s largest overseas drill under way in Australia with over 5,000 troops, 500 platforms
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Colonel Andy Quek (left) and Colonel Woo Sin Boon, who are participating in Exercise Wallaby at Shoalwater Bay in Queensland, Australia.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Follow topic:
- Singapore is holding Exercise Wallaby in Australia, involving more than 5,000 personnel and 500 platforms to enhance war-fighting capabilities at brigade and division level.
- The exercise includes the first deployment of Himars rocket launchers.
- DSTA is deploying 20+ new technologies in robotics and AI.
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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s largest unilateral overseas military drill is under way with more than 5,000 personnel and 500 platforms stretching their capabilities in the vast space of Australia’s Shoalwater Bay
The drill, known as Exercise Wallaby, is in its 35th edition and sees the Singapore Artillery deploy its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) rocket launchers there for the first time.
The Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) deputy lead for the exercise, Colonel Andy Quek, told the media on Oct 24 that the drills demonstrate the SAF’s ability to fight at the brigade and division levels, and across multiple domains.
The training area – in the eastern state of Queensland – is five times the size of Singapore and provides the SAF with space to conduct training at a scale, scope and complexity not possible in Singapore, he noted.
Beyond sharpening its war-fighting competencies, the SAF is also working closely with the defence technology community to translate new technology into operational use during the exercise, he said.
The exercise began in September and is scheduled to end in early November. It is now in its third phase or “frame”.
The earlier frames saw various other units deployed to the field, including tank units and combat engineers.
The ongoing phase involves the Singapore Army’s artillery, intelligence, transport and commando units, as well as the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) fighter planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Intelligence analysts from the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) will also participate, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in a separate statement on Oct 24.
During the exercise, the army and air force conduct integrated live firing, coordinating firepower between air and ground forces.
Artillery units also fire their Himars – truck-mounted rocket launchers which can fire at multiple targets simultaneously – to validate their ability to deliver precision long-range strikes to support land manoeuvres.
The integrated live firing is supported by V-15 unmanned aerial vehicles deployed by army intelligence and RSAF’s F-16 fighter jets and AH-64D Apache helicopters, as well as Orbiter 4 UAVs.
An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flying over a Chinook helicopter on land at the Shoalwater Bay training area.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
The DIS also deploys tools to enhance situational awareness on the battlefield and mission planning through terrain analysis and simulations, among other digital capabilities.
During the exercise, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is working with the Singapore Army to embed engineers alongside soldiers to develop and iterate new technical solutions in the field.
More than 20 new technology applications developed by DSTA are being deployed by the SAF during Exercise Wallaby, covering areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence and counter-unmanned aerial systems, Mindef said.
Frame air director, Colonel Woo Sin Boon, said the exercise will hone and drill competencies in areas such as basic flying techniques and readying aircraft for operations.
But beyond that, it is also about conducting trials for new concepts and experimentation. Some ideas include new methods to improve communication between ground operations and troops in the air.
A common goal has also been set to put air and ground troops through their paces together.
“Most of the time we conduct our own autonomous training. But in this year’s exercise, we have managed to integrate the exercise scenario and design such that a lot of our objectives are integrated and synchronised,” he said.
“We think that has great value to ensure that both the Army and RSAF can operate seamlessly.”
COL Quek also addressed an accident during the 2024 edition of the exercise where two armoured vehicles collided, resulting in 12 servicemen being hospitalised. All were later discharged without serious injuries.
He described the accident as a “classic case study”, emphasising that the SAF has taken lessons from prior years and incorporated them into its planning and preparation.
“We want everyone, right down to the very last soldier, to be aware of the safety risks that are inherent in large overseas exercises, particularly here in Shoalwater Bay.”
