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Australia is reinforcing its strategic foothold in south-east Asia, deploying a Royal Australian Air Force C-27J Spartan and around 130 Australian Defence Force personnel to take part in Exercise Bersama Shield 2026.
The exercise forms a central pillar of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), a longstanding security partnership between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Conducted across Malaysia, Singapore and surrounding maritime and air domains, Exercise Bersama Shield is designed to sharpen combined operational capabilities in increasingly complex, multi-domain environments.
Far more than a routine training activity, Exercise Bersama Shield reflects the growing importance of interoperability in modern warfare.
Participating forces conduct integrated missions spanning land, sea, air and cyber domains, building the kind of seamless coordination required to respond to real-world contingencies. For Australia, this is particularly critical given its strategic reliance on coalition operations and forward engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones said the exercise underscores Australia’s enduring commitment to regional stability and collective security, saying, “For more than five decades, the FPDA has played a vital role in regional security. Australia is proud of its enduring contribution to that arrangement and we look forward to continuing to strengthen these longstanding relationships.”
He also highlighted the importance of the FPDA’s permanent command structure, the Integrated Area Defence System headquarters at RMAF Base Butterworth Air Base, in sustaining operational readiness and deepening personal and professional ties between partner nations.
Established in 1971, the FPDA remains the longest-standing multilateral defence arrangement in south-east Asia, a testament to its adaptability and continued relevance. In an era defined by intensifying great power competition, grey-zone activity and rapidly evolving military technologies, exercises like Bersama Shield are becoming increasingly vital.
For Australia, the strategic value is clear. Exercise Bersama Shield provides a credible mechanism to maintain persistent engagement in south-east Asia, strengthen trust with key regional partners and demonstrate a visible commitment to a rules-based order. It also offers a practical platform to test force integration, logistics and command-and-control structures in conditions that closely mirror contemporary operational challenges.
As Canberra continues to prioritise deterrence, forward presence and regional partnerships, exercises under the FPDA framework will remain a cornerstone of Australia’s defence diplomacy, ensuring the ADF is not only capable but connected, credible and ready to operate alongside trusted partners when it matters most.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
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