CANBERRA - The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will get more access to training areas and facilities in Australia under a new pact between the two countries.

This means increased provisions for SAF exercises in Queensland’s Shoalwater Bay and Greenvale training areas, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said. It will also establish a fighter training detachment for a rotating deployment of Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel in Australia.

The reciprocal defence pact will also see the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) vessels and aircraft make more frequent port calls and stopovers in Singapore. This comes as Australia moves to step up its regional presence.

The agreement was inked on Oct 8 in the Australian capital of Canberra, ahead of the 10th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting, where Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2.0.

“On defence cooperation, we see Australia as a resident power in Asia, and your continued presence in this part of the world contributes to stability, security for all the countries in Asia,” said PM Wong in a joint press conference to launch the CSP 2.0.

The wide-ranging partnership agreement comes as

PM Wong made his maiden visit to Australia

On Singapore’s part, this means strong facilitation for Australia to extend its security presence in South-east Asia and beyond, noted PM Wong.

The CSP 2.0 will see strengthened cooperation between the two countries in several areas like supply chain resilience, and the green and digital economies, among others.

On the defence front, Singapore and Australia have also agreed to deepen collaborat...