The Defence Chiefs of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) member countries convened in Singapore from 6-8 November 2013 for the 15th FPDA Defence Chiefs' Conference (FDCC). Chaired by Singapore's Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Lieutenant-General (LG) Ng Chee Meng, this year's conference was attended by Australia's CDF, General (GEN) David Hurley; Malaysia's CDF, GEN Tan Sri Dato' Sri Zulkifeli Bin Mohd Zin; New Zealand's CDF, LG Rhys Jones; and the United Kingdom's Chief of the Defence Staff, GEN Sir Nicholas Houghton.

At the conference, the Defence Chiefs reaffirmed their commitment to the FPDA, and recognised the important role that the FPDA plays in enhancing regional security and stability. The Defence Chiefs also collectively discussed and issued the FPDA Exercise Concept Directive, which guides the development of future FPDA exercises and activities to strengthen interoperability and military cooperation between the armed forces of the five member nations in conducting conventional and non-conventional operations.

The Defence Chiefs were hosted to breakfast by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen this morning. They will attend the opening ceremony of Exercise Bersama Lima at Butterworth Air Base, Penang, Malaysia, on 8 November 2013. The exercise, which will end on 21 November 2013, is a major joint FPDA exercise involving 12 ships, 72 aircraft and 6 Ground-Based Air Defence units from the five FPDA nations. The exercise, based on a multi-threat scenario, will strengthen interoperability and military cooperation between the FPDA member nations. As part of the exercise, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force will deploy fighter aircraft to each others’ air bases as part of a Fighter Cross Deployment (FCD). The fighter aircraft will be deployed to Kuantan Air Base and Changi Air Base respectively in the first FCD between the two Air Forces since 1998.

The FDCC, which is hosted alternately by Malaysia and Singapore, is the highest military professional forum of the FPDA and serves as an important platform for dialogue and exchange of views among the Defence Chiefs. The FPDA's ability to evolve and adapt to the changing security environment over the years has enabled it to remain relevant to the needs of its member countries and to become an integral part of the regional security architecture.