Login
iscover
Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilots will continue to fly out of RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia for another 25 years under a new treaty signed at the 10th meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne and Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen signed the treaty, a renewal and upgrade on an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in March 1993 between the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and RSAF, which was due to expire in 2018.
There are no changes to the treaty under the renewal, but Minister Ng reaffirmed the close and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between both countries.
The RSAF conducts Basic Wings Course at RAAF Base Pearce, using the Pilatus PC-21 trainer aircraft before progressing to advanced aircraft training.
Minister Payne and Minister Ng also welcomed the progress both nations have made on the five areas of defence co-operation under the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including the implementation of the memorandum of understanding on Military Training and Training Area Development. Singapore is currently in the process of finding land in Queensland to set up a training base near Townsville as part of the $2.2 billion Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative.
A statement from Minister Ng said the two ministers also exchanged views on regional and global security issues, including the growing threat of regional terrorism. Both ministers highlighted the urgent need for greater regional and international co-operation in counter-terrorism efforts, and reaffirmed the countries' commitment to the global fight against terrorism.
The ministers also acknowledged the value of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, which they described as an integral component of the regional security architecture.
Close co-operation between the countries on the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus and the joint deployments in the Middle East as part of the Defeat-ISIS coalition were also praised.
