Posted on Dec 5, 2018
Navy Exercise Highlights Malaysia-Singapore Military Ties
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Over the past week, Malaysia and Singapore held the latest iteration of their bilateral maritime exercise. The interaction cast light on the ongoing defense collaboration underway between the two Southeast Asian neighbors despite lingering challenges in the bilateral relationship.
Navy Exercise Highlights Malaysia-Singapore Military Ties
Posted from thediplomat.com
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Thank you my friend PO1 William "Chip" Nagel for making us aware that during this past week Malaysia and Singapore held the latest iteration of their bilateral maritime Exercise Semangat Bersatu (XSB).
Over the past week, Malaysia and Singapore held the latest iteration of their bilateral maritime exercise. The interaction cast light on the ongoing defense collaboration underway between the two Southeast Asian neighbors despite lingering challenges in the bilateral relationship.
As I have noted before in these pages, though Malaysia and Singapore have had a rather prickly relationship in the past and challenges do arise from time to time, their militaries still interact regularly through various bilateral exchanges and exercises as well as under multilateral arrangements, from the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) to Eyes-in-the-Sky combined patrols to enhance maritime security in the Straits of Malacca.
That has continued on into 2018 amid wider domestic and regional changes, be it the shock May election in Malaysia that returned Mahathir Mohamad back to the premiership or Singapore’s holding of the annually rotating ASEAN chairmanship this year. Indeed, just last month, both sides had conducted the 2018 iteration of Exercise Semangat Bersatu (XSB), drills between the two armies, in Malaysia and lasted from November 18 to November 28.
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Over the past week, the defense aspect of the relationship has been in the headlines again with the holding of the bilateral maritime exercise Exercise Malapura. The iteration of the exercise, conducted since 1984, took place from November 26 to December 3.
As is usually the case, Exercise Malapura included phases such as the opening ceremony and joint planning and training, a sea phase, and an exercise debrief and closing ceremony. The sea phase included various operations including conventional naval warfare and maritime security drills in the Malacca Strait involving the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
According to Singapore’s defense ministry (MINDEF), this year’s exercise, hosted by the RSN, involved about 600 personnel from both navies, which has tended to be roughly the number in recent iterations as well. In terms of assets, the RSN participated with a Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious with a S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, a Victory-class missile corvette RSS Vigilance, a Fearless-class patrol vessel RSS Freedom, while the RMN participated with two Lekiu-class frigates KD Lekiu and KD Jebat, a Kasturi-class corvette KD Kasturi, a Super Lynx helicopter, as well as the two Royal Malaysia Air Force F/A-18D fighter aircraft to support an air defense exercise.
As is typical of such exercises, not much in the way of specifics was revealed about the exact shape of future iterations of the drills. And, to be sure, this is just one of many interactions between the two sides. Nonetheless, as both countries continue to recalibrate their ties amid bilateral and wider regional and global changes, such activities are worth paying attention to within that broader context."
FYI LCDR (Join to see) LTJG Josh Thaxton CWO3 Dennis M. CMDCM Gene Treants SCPO Larry Knight Sr. CPO B. Austin S. PO3 Steven Sherrill SCPO Morris Ramsey PO1 Stephen Caldonetti PO2 Chris P. PO1 Angela (Gibbs) Reterstorf PO2 Orlando Sims, MPA PO2 Lester Sullivan PO3 Ellsworth Allen Westgate
Over the past week, Malaysia and Singapore held the latest iteration of their bilateral maritime exercise. The interaction cast light on the ongoing defense collaboration underway between the two Southeast Asian neighbors despite lingering challenges in the bilateral relationship.
As I have noted before in these pages, though Malaysia and Singapore have had a rather prickly relationship in the past and challenges do arise from time to time, their militaries still interact regularly through various bilateral exchanges and exercises as well as under multilateral arrangements, from the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) to Eyes-in-the-Sky combined patrols to enhance maritime security in the Straits of Malacca.
That has continued on into 2018 amid wider domestic and regional changes, be it the shock May election in Malaysia that returned Mahathir Mohamad back to the premiership or Singapore’s holding of the annually rotating ASEAN chairmanship this year. Indeed, just last month, both sides had conducted the 2018 iteration of Exercise Semangat Bersatu (XSB), drills between the two armies, in Malaysia and lasted from November 18 to November 28.
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
Over the past week, the defense aspect of the relationship has been in the headlines again with the holding of the bilateral maritime exercise Exercise Malapura. The iteration of the exercise, conducted since 1984, took place from November 26 to December 3.
As is usually the case, Exercise Malapura included phases such as the opening ceremony and joint planning and training, a sea phase, and an exercise debrief and closing ceremony. The sea phase included various operations including conventional naval warfare and maritime security drills in the Malacca Strait involving the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
According to Singapore’s defense ministry (MINDEF), this year’s exercise, hosted by the RSN, involved about 600 personnel from both navies, which has tended to be roughly the number in recent iterations as well. In terms of assets, the RSN participated with a Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious with a S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, a Victory-class missile corvette RSS Vigilance, a Fearless-class patrol vessel RSS Freedom, while the RMN participated with two Lekiu-class frigates KD Lekiu and KD Jebat, a Kasturi-class corvette KD Kasturi, a Super Lynx helicopter, as well as the two Royal Malaysia Air Force F/A-18D fighter aircraft to support an air defense exercise.
As is typical of such exercises, not much in the way of specifics was revealed about the exact shape of future iterations of the drills. And, to be sure, this is just one of many interactions between the two sides. Nonetheless, as both countries continue to recalibrate their ties amid bilateral and wider regional and global changes, such activities are worth paying attention to within that broader context."
FYI LCDR (Join to see) LTJG Josh Thaxton CWO3 Dennis M. CMDCM Gene Treants SCPO Larry Knight Sr. CPO B. Austin S. PO3 Steven Sherrill SCPO Morris Ramsey PO1 Stephen Caldonetti PO2 Chris P. PO1 Angela (Gibbs) Reterstorf PO2 Orlando Sims, MPA PO2 Lester Sullivan PO3 Ellsworth Allen Westgate
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LTC Stephen F.
I am glad that you had multiple port calls at Singapore, my friend PO1 William "Chip" Nagel I expect you have many great memories of those times.
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Suspended Profile
A lot has been going on in that area
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