Singapore and Indonesian Armies Conduct Flagship Bilateral Exercise

Chief of Army Major-General Goh Si Hou (left) and Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army General Andika Perkasa (right) co-officiating at the closing ceremony of this year’s Exercise Safkar Indopura.

The Singapore Army and the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) have successfully conducted the 31st edition of Exercise Safkar Indopura, which took place from 17 to 26 September 2019. Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Goh Si Hou and Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army General Andika Perkasa co-officiated the closing ceremony of the flagship bilateral exercise at Murai Urban Training Facility (MUTF) earlier this morning.

This year's exercise involved 470 personnel, comprising troops from Headquarters 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade and 5th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment from the Singapore Army, as well as troops from the 16th Mechanised Infantry Brigade and the 512th, 516th and 521st Mechanised Infantry Battalions from the TNI-AD. Hosted in Singapore, the ten-day exercise provided opportunities for both armies to build stronger bonds and deepen mutual understanding through a series of professional exchanges, live-firing and urban operations tactical drills. The exercise culminated with a field training exercise at MUTF this morning, with SAF and TNI troops executing a combined battalion-level urban assault.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, MG Goh noted that the exercise had achieved its objectives of raising professionalism, strengthening friendships and fostering mutual understanding between the two armies. He said, "Through these exchanges, our armies have benefited from mutual learning, and enhanced our professionalism and interoperability. More importantly, they have allowed us to develop shared memories and a special friendship between soldiers of Singapore and Indonesia. A friendship that is built on understanding and trust, and the spirit of collaboration. May this relationship between our two armies continue to grow from strength to strength."

First conducted in 1989, Exercise Safkar Indopura underscores the close and long-standing defence relations between Singapore and Indonesia. In addition to bilateral exercises, the Singapore Army and the 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 strong people-to-people ties.

Soldiers from the Singapore Army and Indonesian Army taking part in an urban operations tactical drill.

Soldiers from the Singapore Army taking part in the combined battalion-level urban assault.