Singapore and Bruneian Navies Conduct Bilateral Exercise

Commanding Officer (CO) of 188 Squadron Colonel Alan Goh (right) and CO of KDB Darulehsan Lieutenant Colonel Shamsul Bahren Bin HJ Taweh exchanging handshakes after the opening ceremony.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) are conducting a bilateral naval exercise, codenamed Exercise Pelican, from 11 to 15 March 2013. Hosted by the RSN, this year's exercise marks the 32nd in the series.

The command teams from RSN's Formidable-class stealth frigate (RSS Tenacious) and missile corvette (RSS Valour), as well as RBN's Darussalam-class patrol vessel (KDB Darulehsan) and Ijhtihad-class fast patrol boat (KDB Afiat), will be involved in this year's exercise. During the exercise, the two navies will be conducting a series of tactical discussions and simulation exercises in naval warfare such as anti-surface, anti-submarine, anti-air and maritime air operations.

Exercise Pelican underscores the strong and long-standing defence ties between Singapore and Brunei. During the opening ceremony, Commanding Officer of 188 Squadron Colonel Alan Goh pointed out that since its introduction in 1979, "Exercise Pelican has remained the mainstay of the professional interactions between both navies. Not only has the exercise strengthened the overall defence relationship between Brunei and Singapore, it has also significantly enhanced the level of interoperability between both navies."

Besides Exercise Pelican, the two navies also interact regularly through visits, professional exchanges and cross-attendance of courses. These interactions have enhanced the mutual understanding and camaraderie between the personnel of the two navies.

Personnel from the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Royal Brunei Navy engaging in a discussion onboard RSS Tenacious.