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Singapore’s Defence Minister has updated plans to increase the nation’s training footprint in Australia under the Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) signed in 2015, citing a $2.25 billion investment in Australia under the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) program.
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Work is underway at two major training areas in Queensland that will be complete later this decade. Speaking in Singapore’s Parliament during a budget debate, Dr Ng Eng Hen said Australia “will be a key node for the best of class training facilities”, adding that “significant progress has been made” on the efforts to prepare the training areas under the Australia-Singapore CSP.
The CSP outlines a long-term vision to enhance Australia and Singapore’s strategic trade, economic, Defence and people-to-people links, as well as deepen collaboration between the two countries.
The ASMTI provides a unique opportunity to develop and enhance advanced military training areas in central and north Queensland and further strengthen Australia and Singapore’s defence partnership.
Minister Ng said that an ammunition storage building in Australia was completed last year, while work on the training areas will continue, with construction at Shoalwater Bay in central Queensland to be completed by 2024 and Greenvale in northern Queensland to be completed by 2028.
The plans are to include a combined arms air-land a range for Singapores Army and Air Force to be able to conduct training with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, artillery and other platforms and will be complemented by urban operations live firing facilities in a realistic environment.
The ranges will be set in an area 10 times the size of Singapore and will allow its military to be able to conduct integrated training across all three services involving up to 14,000 personnel annually, and over a span of up to 18 weeks as set out under the ASMTI, which Minister Ng described as a "significant asset for our defence capabilities".
Previously Singapore has only been able to send out 4,000 troops a a year as part of field training exercises in Shoalwater bay. The Republic of Singapore Air Force also currently has training operations in Australia with a detachment of PC-21 trainers at RAAF Base Pearce in WA and a helicopter detachment with the Australian Army Aviation Centre in Oakey, Queensland.
The RSAF’s Oakey detachment was recently involved in bushfire relief operations alongside the ADF. Two Chinooks and 71 personnel operated out of RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria and ferried over 400 passengers, more than seven cargo pallets along with 1,600 litres of fuel over a four-week period in January and February, notching up 150 flying hours in the process.
