Singapore Army and US Army take part in annual exercise in California
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SINGAPORE – About 800 soldiers from the Singapore Army and United States Army took part in annual exercise at the National Training Centre in California in September.
Dubbed Exercise Lightning Strike, the exercise ran from Sept 2 to 17, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in a statement on Wednesday.
The bilateral exercise, which were first held in 1996, are aimed at enabling both armies to share tactics, techniques and procedures, and is a hallmark of the excellent ties between both armies, it added.
The ministry said: “The Singapore army soldiers honed their light and motorised competencies by training alongside their US counterparts in the US Stryker Combat Vehicles.”
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers also played the role of observers during a combined arms brigade planning exercise, it added.
3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade Commander Fan Mun Poh, who visited the troops during the exercise, said: “Since its conception in 1996, Exercise Lightning Strike has allowed both armies to conduct professional exchanges on tactics, techniques and procedures.”
The Mindef statement said the Singapore and US armies interact extensively through exercises, professional exchanges and attending courses in each other’s countries.
“These interactions have enhanced the professionalism, personal rapport and interoperability between both armed forces, as well as reaffirmed the excellent and longstanding defence relations between Singapore and the US,” it said.
