TAIPEI – The 22nd Exercise Cope Tiger, a trilateral air exercise between the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), and the U.S. Air Force concluded on March 18 during a closing ceremony at Korat Air Base, Thailand.
Terrex, Singapore Airshow 2010
Photo Credit: Wendell Minnick
According to a press release issued by Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), this year's exercise included 87 aircraft, 48 ground-based air defense systems, and around 2,000 personnel, including Singapore's Israeli-built Heron-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
According to MINDEF, the Heron-1 is a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV for strategic reconnaissance and surveillance operations and built by the Israel Aerospace Industries. It was inaugurated into the Singapore's UAV Command in 2012 to replace the Searcher-class UAV for the 119 Squadron at Murai Camp. The Searcher had been in service since 1994. Singapore's Heron-1 also participated in the 2015 Forging Sabre Exercise in Phoenix, Arizona. The Singapore UAV Command also operates the Israeli-built Hermes 450 UAV, which is stationed with the 116 Squadron at Tengah Air Base.
Conducted annually since 1994, Cope Tiger is a two-phase exercise conducted first, December 8-11, at the Multinational Operations and Exercise Center in Changi Naval Base, Singapore, then, March 7-18, with a flying training exercise at Korat Air Base, Thailand.
Colonel Sim Peng Shin, RSAF exercise director for Cope Tiger, said that the exercise "provides us with an excellent opportunity to train alongside our counterparts from Thailand and the United States. This trilateral air combat exercise allows us to hone our air combat readiness and operational capabilities as we engage in air defense and strike operations. This exercise also allows us to strengthen our close defense relations with Thailand and the US."
The closing ceremony was attended by RSAF chief Major-General Hoo Cher Mou, Commander-in-Chief of the RTAF Air Chief Marshal Treetod Sonjance, and Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces Major General Michael Compton, based at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Compton has served in this position since 2014. Before this assignment, in 2013, Compton participated in the Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Sentosa, Singapore.
Australian Relations
On March 18, Singapore Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen met Australian Minister for Defense Marise Payne in Sydney, Australia for the ninth meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC). Initiatives to strengthen defense cooperation under the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership were discussed and both exchanged views on regional and international security issues. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Australian Defense Force (ADF) share a long history of high quality military cooperation, The SAF conducts training in Australian training areas such as Shoalwater Bay and Oakey, Queensland; Pearce, Western Australia; and Tamworth, New South Wales.
During a November meeting, Ng and Payne discussed cooperation against extremist terrorism and Payne welcomed the conduct of an ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise that will be co-organized by the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Groups on Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism this May. Both Ministers reaffirmed the value of the Five Power Defense Arrangements. The ninth SAJMC was also attended by Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang.
Vietnam
Republic of Singapore Navy's Endurance-class Landing Ship Tank, RSS Endurance arrived at the new Cam Ranh International Port on March 17. It is the first foreign military ship to make a port call at the new port facility since it reopened last week. The 6,500-ton LST was built by Singapore Technologies' Marine and the five-day port call will include training modules in watch-keeping, gunnery, seamanship, communications, medical and engineering.
Relations between Singapore and Vietnam have greatly improved over the past few years. From February 28 to March 1, the 7th Singapore-Vietnam Defense Policy Dialogue (DPD) was held in Singapore with Vietnam Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General (SNR-LG) Nguyen Chi Vinh, and Permanent Secretary Defense Chan Yeng Kit at the Ministry of Defense attending. During the DPD, Chan and Vihn reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defense relationship between Singapore and Vietnam, and exchanged views on international and regional security issues of mutual interest, such as on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). As part of the visit, Vinh called on Singapore Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen and visited the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre. In addition to the DPD, both sides interact regularly through high-level visits, professional exchanges, cross-attendance of courses and port calls.
TERREX 2 Progress for US Marine Corps
On March 15, the U.S. Government Accountability Office denied General Dynamics Land Systems protests for a 2015 decision to give for selecting Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) for work on the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV Phase 1 Increment 1). In Nov. 2015, the U.S.M.C. awarded teams led by BAE Systems and SAIC contacts to build prototypes. General Dynamics challenged the decision.
According to an ST Kinetics press release, with the case settled, Singapore's ST Kinetics and SAIC will continue forward on Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase of the ACV 1.1. During the EMD phase, SAIC and ST Kinetics will provide the U.S.M.C. with 13 TERREX 2 prototypes that will be tested next year.
The prime contract, awarded by the U.S.M.C. to SAIC is worth $121.5 million. This decision to award came after SAIC received the 100-day "stop work" order from the U.S.M.C. as the GAO looked into the protest made by one of the competitors, as allowed for in the U.S. tender process.
"The selection of the TERREX 2 is a testament to the proven strengths of the TERREX family as a lethal and highly survivable 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle platform," said Ravinder Singh, president of ST Kinetics. "What we have now achieved in TERREX 2 is a testimony to the maturity of our defense engineering expertise, allowing us to compete against established global defense companies."
TERREX 2 is an 8x8 wheeled armored ACV with improved mobility that can transport a combat load of up to 11 embarked Marines, and three crew members, through hostile territory. On land, TERREX 2's independent suspension system improves ground mobility and ride quality for the U.S.M.C. In water, TERREX 2's hydraulically driven propulsion systems with full independent thrust control authority allows safe operation at Sea-State 3 and through six-foot plunging surf.
