S'pore, Aussie troops in bilateral exercise

SHOALWATER BAY, Australia - More than 1,600 Singapore and Australian troops are taking part in the bilateral Exercise Trident where air, land and sea servicemen will practise securing a beach and moving inland from three ships.

For the first time, an Australian ship, the HMAS Adelaide, is participating, while the other two ships in the 11-day exercise are from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

The HMAS Adelaide is a 230m-long helicopter landing dock that can hold more than 1,000 troops and 18 helicopters, along with other military vehicles and equipment.

Republic of Singapore Air Force helicopters will be lifting troops from all three ships and providing support to soldiers on the beach.

Previous editions of the exercise, first held in 2013, were conducted with just one RSN ship.

The presence of two other ships, especially one from a different navy, adds layers of complexity to this year's exercise - the largest so far - said Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Koh, commander for the exercise's naval component. "This is an opportunity to test ourselves and learn from others... Smooth seas don't make good sailors," he said.

Colonel Alan Tan, the exercise's director, said Trident's value is in its combination of air, land and sea forces. Referring to the vast space afforded by Shoalwater Bay to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), he said: "The integration of these into an amphibious operation to send troops from ships onto the beach... is something on a scale we cannot achieve in Singapore."

The exercise - which runs concurrently with the SAF's largest overseas exercise, Wallaby, also in Shoalwater Bay - will see troops from the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards and the 3rd Royal Australian Regiment working together.

The troops will be held on the ships out at sea before being sent onto land via fast craft and helicopters for their mission.

On Tuesday morning, a company of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards were put through their paces, charging out of fast craft sent out from the RSS Endurance - one of the RSN ships participating in the exercise.

The other is the RSS Persistence. Both ships are landing ship tanks - large transport ships capable of carrying tanks and helicopters, as well as troops and their equipment.

Overhead, two Apache helicopters flew into view to support the troops landing on the beach.

Once the beach is cleared, soldiers such as Second Lieutenant Farain Efran Lau Chang Fa bin Muhammad Heikel Lau will secure it.

2LT Farain, a full-time national serviceman and platoon commander in the 3rd Singapore Guards, said: "Coming here and working with the Australian Defence Force and sleeping in a tent are new experiences which I will definitely remember." He was referring to how troopers and officers alike are housed in tents for parts of their overseas stay.

"They're very polite and willing to share, and it's a great experience working with and learning from another professional army."

The exercise began on Sept 23 and will end on Oct 3.