The British Royal Navy guided-missile destroyer HMS Diamond (D-34) left Singapore on October 8, 2021. Royal Navy Photo
Kuala Lumpur-Part of the Five Nations Defense Arrangement (FPDA) of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom, today began the field training component of the Bersama Gold 2021 exercise.
FPDA is an arrangement in which all five member states agree to consult individually or jointly on any attack or threat of attack against Malaysia or Singapore. According to FPDA, since the agreement was reached in 1971, many formal and scheduled exercises have been held.
The ongoing Bersama Gold 2021 exercise is actually a biennial Bersama Shield exercise. The exercise was renamed Gold to reflect the 50th anniversary of the establishment of FPDA. This exercise marked FPDA's first field exercise since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of exercises and conducted virtual command post exercises.
The Bersama Gold 2021 exercise will involve maritime and air exercises, mainly in the international waters of the South China Sea between the coasts of Malaysia and Singapore, where participating countries will conduct a series of activities such as air defense and anti-submarine exercises, shooting and maneuvering exercises. Air forces from FPDA member states will conduct air defense exercises in West Malaysia’s airspace and support the maritime sector in anti-submarine exercises. The force will also host a virtual jungle warfare seminar, which involves cross-sharing the jungle warfare theory and discusses the interoperability between the land forces of FPDA member states.
According to news released by Malaysia and Singapore, a total of 2,600 personnel, 10 ships, 1 submarine, 6 maritime helicopters, 3 maritime patrol aircraft, 25 fighter jets, 2 support aircraft and 1 command and control aircraft participated in the exercise. Ministry of Defense. The command and coordination of the exercise will be conducted at the Joint Operations Center of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's Butterworth Headquarters Integrated Area Defense System (HQ IADS) and the Malaysian Armed Forces Joint Force Headquarters (MAF JFHQ) in Kuantan. HQ IADS was originally established as a multinational command, led by the Deputy Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which is a two-star military rank used for air defense against Malaysia and Singapore under the FPDA. In 2000, the position was expanded to cover combined air, sea and land roles.
According to the news released by the Australian Ministry of Defence on October 6, Australia participated in the exercise including LHD HMAS Canberra (L02) and frigate HMAS Anzac (FFH150), P-8A Poseidon and F/A-18F Super Hornet. Australia has no details. Explain the number of Super Hornets, but four planes have been found to arrive in Singapore.
The UK is participating in HMS Diamond (D34), which is part of the UK Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) deployed in the region. After a three-day exercise between the two ships, Diamond sailed to Singapore with Canberra, the Anzac and the supply ship HMAS Sirius (O266). The Royal Air Force (RAF) announced in May that it plans to send Typhoon fighter jets with Voyager tankers for exercises, but the plan has been cancelled. The source told USNI News that the plan was cancelled due to complex COVID-19 prevention requirements in several countries/regions, and the Royal Air Force Aviation Group needs to land in these countries/regions to stop on the way to the region.
The New Zealand Defence Force announced on Wednesday that the supply ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A11) is heading to Singapore for exercises, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-3K2 Orion will also participate in Bersama Gold. The HMNZS Te Kaha frigate (F77) will also participate in the exercise, but only if it and the British CSG21 complete a one-week voyage in the South China Sea.
MAF JFHQ has announced that the frigate KD Lekiu (FFG30) and the frigate KD Lekir (F26) as well as the Royal Malaysian Air Force Su-30MKM and Eagle fighter jets will participate in the exercise. Singapore did not disclose the participation of its navy and air assets, but the Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 has been a regular participant in the past FPDA exercises. The Singapore Air Force F-50 maritime patrol aircraft is likely to be the third participating maritime patrol aircraft in the exercise. . Similarly, it is expected that the command and control aircraft mentioned in the announcement will be the Singapore Air Force G550 airborne early warning aircraft. No information was provided about the only submarine participating in the exercise. In addition to New Zealand, the other four FPDA countries are all operating submarines. As part of the deployment of the British CSG21, a British Smart-class submarine is operating in the area.
After the end of Bersama Gold 2021, Malaysia will host the 11th FPDA Defense Minister Meeting (FDMM) and FPDA 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 21 at RMAF Subang Air Force Base near the Kuala Lumpur capital. The Bersama Goal program will end on October 18.
Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since 1998, he has contributed to Asian Defense Review, Jane’s Defense Weekly, Naval International, International Defense Review, Asian Defense Magazine, Defense Helicopter, Asian Military Review, and Asia Pacific Publications written by "Defense Correspondent" include current articles for it.