A contingent of around 400 ADF personnel will work closely with members from the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) during Exercise Bersama Lima 2024, which has commenced in Malaysia and Singapore.
The contingent will work with partner nations throughout the exercise to train air, land, and maritime forces to support the coordinated defence of Malaysia and Singapore.
Established in 1971, the FPDA is a defensive arrangement between the nations of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
The exercise also marks the ADF’s first deployment of Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft and a Royal Australian Navy clearance diving team as part of an FPDA exercise.
Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, said Australia’s commitment to the exercise demonstrated an unwavering investment in the FPDA.
“The ADF’s contribution to Bersama Lima supports our ongoing shared vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous region,” Vice Admiral Jones said.
“The deployment of a significant Royal Australian Air Force capability, alongside units from the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy demonstrates Australia’s commitment to collective security in our region.”
Commander of the Australian contingent, Major Mark Tamblyn, said Bersama Lima was a valuable opportunity to work with FPDA partners.
“The contingent looks forward to working closely with our FPDA partners, strengthening people-to-people links that have endured for more than five decades, while increasing our interoperability,” Major Tamblyn said.
“The deployment of Air Force F-35As and the Navy clearance diver team are significant achievements in our ongoing pursuit of enhancing training realism and sophistication, and building capacity within the FPDA.”
