Exercise 'Suman Warrior' Seen As Valuable Platform For Interaction

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Exercise 'Suman Warrior' was a valuable platform for enhancing professional military interaction among the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) countries, said Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment, Lt-Col Wong Shi Ming. "The exercise offered an excellent opportunity to build professional networks," said Wong, who led a delegation of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to the exercise this year. "We have learned a lot from our interactions with the other FPDA armed forces," he said in a statement on Thursday. The SAF participated in Exercise Suman Warrior, the FPDA land exercise from Sept 19 to Sept 29, in Melaka state. This year's exercise, the 26th in the series, was a command post exercise involving the planning of combined task force operations. Hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), the exercise involved 45 SAF personnel and over 135 personnel from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Exercise Suman Warrior aims to enhance interoperability and provides a platform for professional exchange amongst the FPDA armies. Formed in 1971, the FPDA was established for the external defence of Singapore and Malaysia during their early days of independence. Over the years, FPDA activities have evolved to adapt to the changing regional security environment, and have remained relevant as a collaborative platform that supports regional security. Next month, the FPDA Defence Chiefs will meet in Singapore to celebrate 45 years of long-standing friendship and cooperation among FPDA member nations. --BERNAMA