SINGAPORE and Australia have signed a defence pact to further expand bilateral defence ties.

The Prime Ministers of both countries, Mr Kevin Rudd and Mr Lee Hsien Loong signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the collaboration at the Istana.today (August 12, 2008).

Here are complete details of the memorandum:

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SINGAPORE CONCERNING DEFENCE COOPERATION

Overview
The MOU on Defence Cooperation is a broad agreement that articulates the principles of the defence partnership and key areas of defence cooperation. It also serves as a framework into which we could bring the many existing and future areas of bilateral defence cooperation.

There are three main areas of defence cooperation in the MOU - policy dialogues, military cooperation, and defence technology cooperation.

Policy Dialogues
The Australia-Singapore Policy Talks between the Australian Department of Defence and the Singapore Ministry of Defence aim to bring together key officials from both defence establishments on an annual basis to exchange views on defence and security issues and on bilateral cooperation.

Military Cooperation
Military cooperation is one of the key areas of cooperation under the MOU on Defence Cooperation. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have a long history of cooperation and interaction. There is currently a host of military interactions, including bilateral and multilateral exercises, staff talks and visits, training courses and professional and educational exchanges. The MOU on Defence Cooperation seeks to build on these extensive interactions to further foster inter-operability. Both countries will also cooperate through exercises and operations, in areas such as humanitarian and disaster relief, search and rescue and peace support.

Defence Technology Cooperation
Defence technology cooperation is another pillar in the bilateral defence relationship. The MOU on Defence Cooperation reaffirms the value of bilateral defence technology cooperation, including the sharing of information, facilities and expertise; the pursuit of cooperative research and development; the conduct of joint trials and experiments; and exchanges of personnel and material and equipment.