Annual Report 2004-05

Outcome Five: Strategic Policy

Defence Cooperation

South East Asia

Singapore

Interaction with the Singapore Armed Forces continued at all levels across a broad range of areas, including high-level policy dialogue, combined exercises, personnel exchanges and training. The Singaporean and Australian Defence Ministers met at the Singapore Australia Joint Ministerial Committee Meeting in August 2005 and signed the new Shoalwater Bay Training Area Agreement which covers Singapore's ongoing use of the training area until 2009. Exercise Wallaby, Singapore's annual unilateral exercise, will be held in October and November 2005 at Shoalwater Bay. Ministers also met at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in 2005, followed by the Five Power Defence Arrangements Ministers' informal meeting. Singaporean detachments continued to utilise RAAF Pearce, Western Australia, and the Army Aviation Centre in Oakey, Queensland, for fixed-wing and helicopter flight training. Defence science collaboration with Singapore continues to grow, with the inaugural Australia Singapore Science and Technology forum planned for October 2005 in Australia.

Philippines

Australia's defence engagement with the Philippines expanded in areas of high strategic importance, such as counter-terrorism and maritime security. A highlight of the reporting period was the visit in April 2005 of the Philippines' Secretary of Defense. This built on a successful visit by Australia's Chief of Air Force to the Philippines in February 2005. The foundation of the Defence Cooperation Program with the Philippines is education and training. In addition, governance support for the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been focused on a number of critical niche areas, including logistics management, strategic planning and personnel processes. Exercise Dawn Caracha, an annual bilateral special forces counter-terrorism training exercise, was successfully conducted in mid-2004 and Exercise Lumbas, a combined maritime patrol and surveillance exercise, was held in August 2004.

Thailand

The strength and importance of the defence relationship with Thailand was underscored by the visit of the Minister for Defence to Thailand in April 2005, which followed a visit by the Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces in February 2005. The tempo of defence engagement remained high and included an extensive range of exercises, including two special forces exercises and a special recovery exercise, as well as land, sea and air exercises. In addition, Exercise Wyvern Sun, a whole-of-government counter-terrorism special recovery exercise, was held in Thailand in July 2004. Australia also hosted a study visit by the Thai Senate Standing Committee on Military Affairs on investigating Australia's whole-of-government counter-terrorism processes. A number of joint projects were progressed in the areas of logistics and science and technology. Australian training of Thai military personnel remained a significant part of the relationship. English language training continues to be important, as it will further increase Thailand's ability to take up training opportunities in Australia.

Malaysia

The strong defence relationship between Australia and Malaysia is sustained by a wide program of cooperative activities under the Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Program. Activities included a resumption of the major combined land exercise activity, Exercise Southern Tiger, in September 2004. Professional contact between the two armed forces continued to be facilitated by the presence of an Army rifle company and small Air Force detachment at Royal Malaysian Air Force Butterworth, Malaysia, and multilateral exercises conducted under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangements. The Malaysia-Australian Joint Defence Program also facilitates mutually beneficial professional military education opportunities and exchange postings, which have broadened into new areas such as aerospace engineering and materials science. Regular contact at high levels, including between the respective Secretaries of Defence, also underscores the continued health of the relationship.

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