Singapore and US navies conclude bilateral exercise in Guam

SINGAPORE – Faced with an aerial threat flying over the coast of Guam, the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) RSS Dauntless responded by firing a surface-to-air missile to intercept it.

It was the first time the RSN fired the Mica anti-air missile – a fire-and-forget weapon that can guide itself automatically to the target after launch. This occurred during the bilateral Exercise Pacific Griffin with the United States Navy (USN), which was held between June 18 and Tuesday.

Mica is short for a French term, which roughly translates to “missile for interception, for combat and for auto-defence”.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said both navies concluded the fourth edition of the exercise, which took place in Guam and its surrounding waters.

First conducted in 2017, the biennial exercise “highlights the strong navy-to-navy relations between Singapore and the US, as well as the excellent and longstanding bilateral defence relations between both countries”, said the ministry.

Besides the Independence-class littoral mission vessel RSS Dauntless, the RSN’s Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious also participated in the exercise, alongside the USN’s Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh, Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Manchester, and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez. The RSN frigate fired the anti-ship Harpoon missile as part of the exercise.

The exercise also involved naval divers from both sides and four helicopters. Three were embarked on the USN vessels – the MH-60R Seahawk, MH-60S Seahawk and an MQ-8C – while the RSN had an S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter embarked on the RSS Tenacious.

Mindef added that both navies planned and executed a series of warfare missions, with the RSN’s naval divers engaging in operations such as maritime explosive ordnance disposal and maritime counter-terrorism.

Beyond the exercise, personnel from both sides helped the local community to clean up and do restoration works in the wake of Typhoon Mawar, a Category 4 typhoon that hit Guam on May 24 and left the US territory reeling even a month later.

The RSN’s Commander of First Flotilla, Colonel Daniel Ng Kok Yeng, said the exercise was a valuable platform for both navies to enhance their cooperation and mutual understanding.

“With the vast training space in the waters off Guam, the exercise also provided us with the opportunity to hone our sharp edge and capabilities,” he said.

Deputy Commodore of the USN’s Destroyer Squadron 7, Captain Sean Lewis, added: “This exercise demonstrated how two nations can come together with a common interest and create an exercise of such robust execution.”