Australia, UK conclude complex warfighting drills with Malaysia, Singapore armed forces

HMS Spey (background) operating with RSS Vigilance at Exercise ‘Bersama Shield' 2025. (Crown Copyright/UK MoD)

Units from the Australian Defence Force and the British Armed Forces have concluded a series of complex warfighting drills with their partners from the armed forces of Malaysia and Singapore.

The drills, which simulated the defence of Malaysian islands and waters against assaults from a fictitious enemy, are the most complex to have been undertaken by the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) countries in recent times.

Known as Exercise ‘Bersama Shield', it also involved personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) although Wellington did not deploy military assets to the drills, said a representative from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in response to enquiries from Janes.

The exercise ran from 7 to 22 April, and it consisted of a harbour phase that was carried out simultaneously at the FPDA's Headquarters Integrated Air Defence System (HQIADS) in Butterworth and Headquarters of the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN's) Naval Region 1.

This was followed by a “conflict phase” that saw the involvement of naval vessels and maritime aircraft from Australia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, the FCDO said.

In this phase, the UK Royal Navy deployed its River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey while the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) dispatched its Hobart-class guided-missile destroyer HMAS Sydney.

These vessels worked alongside the Republic of Singapore Navy's Victory-class corvette RSS Vigilance and the RMN's Kedah-class offshore patrol vessel KD Terengganu and its support ship KD Sri Indera Sakti.