The Singapore and Indonesian armies have successfully conducted their annual bilateral exercise, code-named Safkar Indopura, from 12 to 23 October 2015. Commander 3rd Singapore Division Brigadier-General Ong Tze-Ch'in and Commander of Military Area I, Indonesian Army (TNI AD), Major General Lodewyk Pusung co-officiated the closing ceremony of the exercise at the Murai Urban Training Facility (MUTF) this morning. This exercise, the 27th in its series, is a combined battalion field exercise.

Hosted by Singapore this year, the exercise involved about 150 personnel from the Headquarters 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade and 6th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, together with about 150 personnel from the TNI AD 7th Infantry Brigade and 121st Infantry Battalion. The 12-day exercise provided many opportunities for both armies to build stronger bonds and deepen mutual understanding, through a series of professional exchanges, cross training on urban operations, live firing, map planning exercise, and culminating in a combined field training exercise.

First conducted in 1989, Exercise Safkar Indopura underscores the close and long-standing defence relations between Singapore and Indonesia. Besides bilateral exercises, the Singapore Army and TNI AD also engage in a wide range of bilateral activities, including visits, professional exchanges and cross-attendance of courses. These interactions have enhanced the interoperability between the two armies and helped foster mutual understanding between their personnel.