News Releases
Minister for Defence Visits Exercise Trident 2026
15 November 2026
Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing visited troops participating in Exercise Trident (XTD) 2026 today at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) in Queensland, Australia.
Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing visited troops participating in Exercise Trident (XTD) 2026 today at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) in Queensland, Australia.
XTD is the flagship bilateral exercise between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Held from 6 to 22 November 2026, the 11th edition of XTD involves over 1,600 personnel from the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the ADF.
As part of his programme, Minister Chan visited the RSN’s Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Persistence, where he interacted with SAF and ADF personnel on board. He also observed the execution of an integrated exercise, comprising ship-to-shore projections of troops and vehicles from RSS Persistence using the RSN’s Fast Craft Utility (FCUs) and the RSAF’s CH-47F helicopters, with close air support by the AH-64D. Deployed in XTD for the first time, the Orbiter 4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) provided aerial surveillance of the operations. The exercise featured a two-mission profile - capturing a conventional terrain and culminating in an urban operation executed by troops from the SAF and ADF.
This year’s XTD also saw both armed forces deepening their bilateral collaboration through Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) to promote cross-sharing of operational insights, alongside more advanced science and technology trials. These included opportunities to test and integrate emerging technologies, such as UAVs and unmanned ground vehicles, for surveillance, reconnaissance and resupply in a realistic exercise environment.
Members of MINDEF’s Defence Technology Community (DTC), with partners from ST Engineering and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Heat Resilience and Performance Centre, also worked with the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) on trials in manned-unmanned teaming, and studies to enhance soldier performance and safety.
While in Queensland, Minister Chan hosted a dinner for leaders from the Australian government, the ADF, and the local community, to express Singapore's appreciation for their strong and longstanding support of the SAF’s training in Australia. The dinner was attended by Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry, as well as the Members for Rockhampton and Keppel in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Donna Kirkland and Nigel Hutton.
Speaking at the end of his visit, Minister Chan reaffirmed the strong bilateral defence relationship between the two countries that has enabled the SAF’s continued access to training areas in Australia, allowing Singapore to conduct exercises of increasing scale and complexity amid an evolving global security environment. Minister Chan said, “Over these years, I have seen the complexity and scale of XTD increase and deepen. We are also very fortunate to have the ADF train with us, and with every iteration of the exercise, I can see how the relationship and camaraderie between the two armed forces are getting closer together, but most importantly, how they are able to interoperate across the air, land and sea dimensions... I would like to thank the Australian authorities and also the local community for allowing us to train in SWBTA all these years.”
The SAF and the ADF share a long history of defence cooperation, with extensive interactions that include high-level visits, cross-attendance of courses, professional exchanges, and the conduct of bilateral and multilateral exercises. These interactions anchor bilateral defence cooperation and deepen the relationship between both armed forces.
More Resources
Infographic: Exercise Trident 2026