Singapore, Malaysian navies conduct joint exercise

SINGAPORE - The Republic of Singapore Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) have begun a 10-day joint maritime exercise that will take place in Singapore and the Malacca Strait.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Read the full statement from MINDEF:

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) mark the 30th anniversary of their bilateral exercise, Exercise Malapura this year. Held since 1984, this year's exercise takes place between 25 February to 6 March 2014.

RSN's Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Ng Chee Peng and RMN's Chief of Navy Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Bin Haji Jaafar, jointly unveiled the new Exercise Malapura logo at Changi Naval Base today to commemorate the anniversary. Also present at the ceremony were senior naval officers from both navies.

RADM Ng said, "The 30th Anniversary of Exercise Malapura highlights the strong bilateral ties between both navies. The increased scope and complexity of the exercise since its inception demonstrate the strong mutual understanding and interoperability that the two navies have built up over the years." ADM Tan Sri Abdul Aziz added that Exercise Malapura had developed into a mutually beneficial annual interaction for both navies.

"Notwithstanding the opportunity to enhance competency and professionalism, this series of exercises has heightened the spirit of comradeship. It is heartening to note that the complexity and the level of exercise serials are reviewed continuously to meet the requirements of the evolving traditional and non-traditional security threats that are of common concern to both countries," he said.

Prior to the unveiling of the logo, RSN Fleet Commander RADM Timothy Lo and RMN Fleet Operations Commander Vice-Admiral Dato' Abd Hadi bin A. Rashid co-officiated at the opening ceremony. About 700 personnel from the RSN and RMN are involved in the 10-day exercise. The RSN is participating with a frigate (RSS Steadfast), a missile corvette (RSS Victory), a patrol vessel (RSS Dauntless) and the Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk Naval Helicopter.

The RMN is represented by a frigate (KD Lekiu), a corvette (KD Kasturi) and a patrol vessel (KD Terengganu). Both navies will carry out joint planning and training during the shore phases at CNB and Lumut, Malaysia. The sea phase will take place in the Strait of Malacca, and will comprise drills in conventional warfare and maritime security.

The exercise continues to enhance interoperability and mutual understanding between the two navies. The RSN and RMN also interact regularly across a wide range of activities. These include professional exchanges and courses, as well as multilateral exercises as part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

The two navies have also been working closely to enhance maritime security in the region through the Malacca Strait Patrols. These regular interactions reflect the strong cooperation and underscore the warm and long-standing defence ties between both navies.