Over the past week, almost 2000 soldiers, sailors and aviators from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) conducted Exercise Trident in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.
The signature biennial joint training activity between the ADF and SAF enhances their abilities to project a combined land force from sea to shore, manoeuvre inland, and secure an objective.
It provides training opportunities for command and control processes between SAF HQ elements, a SAF battalion, an Australian minor JTF HQ, and elements of an Australian infantry battalion.
It also enhances understanding and interoperability between ADF and SAF planners and the training audience through the shared experience of exercise planning and conduct.
This year’s exercise focused on air mobile, littoral and urban combat operations. It included a combined science and technology component focusing on unmanned aerial vehicle interoperability and joint experimentation.
ADF and SAF commanders jointly led a combined headquarters, and an Australian Army reinforced rifle company was integrated with an SAF infantry battalion.
Commander of the 1st Brigade, Brigadier Doug Pashley, said Exercise Trident was a great opportunity to exercise their strengths and learn from one another.
“Darwin’s 1st Brigade is the Chief of Army’s lead trace for Australia’s littoral capability, and we have moved on that direction, and achieved great progress this year,” he said.
“It’s great to see how far we’ve progressed as the exercise gradually became more complicated and complex.
“I’ve been really impressed by the close, tactical-level integration and interoperability.”
While the 1st Brigade has conducted extensive intermediate-level littoral exercises and operations during this year’s Predator series, and continues to support Operation Resolute, the impressive capabilities the SAF brought to northern Queensland for Exercise Trident provided a new depth to training.
SAF AH-64 Apaches provided overwatch while ship-to-objective manoeuvre serials were carried out between RS Ships Endurance and Persistence and Freshwater Beach via fast craft utility landing craft and CH-47 Chinooks.
“This is a great way to finish off 2024 because we’re using assets and operating with partners to conduct amphibious operations in a way that we haven’t done yet this year,” Brigadier Pashley said.
“I’m always proud every time I get to see the young men and women who serve in the 1st Brigade rolling their sleeves up and getting after some good, hard and effective training.”
Looking at the happy – if exhausted – Singaporean and Australian faces after the exercise’s culminating serial, Brigadier Pashley’s pride was palpable.
“They do it particularly well when they’re integrating with partners, and we’ve just seen that here today,” he said.
“They are our nation’s finest, and it always makes me proud to see them doing their job.”
