Military exercises begin over S'pore<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AFP): British, Australian and New Zealand fighters
\nand battleships yesterday joined a five-nation military exercise
\nagainst a mock aerial invasion of Singapore and Malaysia,
\nofficials said.<\/p>\n
The Singapore defense ministry said the six-day Five Power
\nDefense Arrangements (FPDA) exercise will focus on "preserving
\nthe integrity of Malaysian and Singapore airspace against a
\nsimulated external air threat."<\/p>\n
A ministry statement said the exercise also involved artillery
\nforces. It did not state the number of airmen, sailors and troops
\ninvolved.<\/p>\n
The aircraft mobilized for the maneuvers include F\/A 18
\nfighters from the Royal Australian Air Force, Malaysian F5Es and
\nHawks, New Zealand A4Ks, and Singapore's F16 Fighting Falcons and
\nA4 Super Skyhawks.<\/p>\n
Participating ships from the five navies included frigates,
\npatrol vessels, missile corvettes and a destroyer, including
\nBritish frigate HMS Sheffield.<\/p>\n
The FPDA, which holds regular exercises to maintain
\ncoordination, was founded in 1971 to help protect Malaysia and
\nSingapore, which have developed their own modern air and naval
\ndefenses thanks to rapid economic growth.<\/p>\n
The exercise followed the announcement that Singapore was
\nacquiring a second-hand training submarine from Sweden in a
\npackage deal that involves training for a seminal submarine-
\nwarfare force.<\/p>\n
The Sunday Times said the 1,130-ton submarine, with a crew
\nrequirement of 23 and a top speed of 16 knots, would further
\nboost the capabilities of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN),
\nwhich has 4,000 men and 30 vessels.<\/p>\n
The report quoted Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Tony Tan
\nas saying Saturday that no decision had been made on whether a
\nsubmarine capability was necessary for the RSN, and the training
\nwas part of the evaluation process.<\/p>\n
Singapore, a prosperous trade-driven island state, already has
\none of the most modern military hardware inventories in Southeast
\nAsia. It has major training agreements with the United States,
\nAustralia and other allies.<\/p>",
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