Fact Sheet: Milestones in Singapore-Australia Defence Relations

Singapore and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1965. Following this, Australia joined the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore as members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) in 1971. (FPDA is a consultative arrangement set up for the defence of Malaysia and Singapore, and has become an integral part of the regional security architecture over the years, continuing to contribute significantly to regional stability. The FPDA also serves as a useful forum for dialogue and exchange of views among the Defence Ministers and senior defence officials of its member states.)The growing defence relations between Singapore and Australia were formalised when the two countries concluded an Exchange of Notes constituting a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore in February 1988 at the Permanent Secretary-level. Exercise Wallaby was first conducted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) from 3 to 25 Oct 1990, with more than 1,200 SAF personnel for just over three weeks. The exercise has since grown in scope and scale over the years, with Exercise Wallaby 2010 involving about 5,200 SAF personnel for around eight weeks.

A number of agreements have been concluded in association with the SAF’s training in SWBTA since its establishment. They are:

a. The SWBTA Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed at the minister-level in May 2009. The MoA's validity had been extended from five to ten years.

b. Other agreements involving the conduct of SAF training in Australia include agreements for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) training in Australia. Australia provides valuable training space for the RSAF which currently conducts training at Darwin, Amberley and Tamworth. The RSAF also conducts training at the Australian Army Aviation Centre in Oakey, as well as the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Pearce, where basic flying trainings for pilot trainees are conducted.

In August 2008, both countries reaffirmed the political support for Singapore-Australia defence relations by concluding the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore Concerning Defence Cooperation. This was concluded at the Prime Minister-level, and articulated the principles of Singapore-Australia defence partnership and key areas of defence cooperation such as policy dialogues, military cooperation, and defence technology cooperation.

Apart from the FPDA, Singapore and Australia also interact regularly at multilateral fora such as the Shangri-La Dialogue, ASEAN Regional Forum, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus which was established in October 2010.

Singapore and Australia also share a history of operational cooperation, with the SAF and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) now cooperating closely in the multinational reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan since 2008 where the ADF provides valuable assistance and support for the SAF’s deployments. In addition, the ADF has stationed an officer from the Royal Australian Navy as an International Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre in Changi Naval Base, and had previously deployed two officers to the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a multinational counter-piracy task force, during Singapore's command of CTF 151 from January to April 2010.

More Resources

DPM Teo visits Exercise Wallaby 2010

Transcript of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean's Doorstop Interview to Local Singapore Media in Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) during his visit to Exercise Wallaby 2010