Australia and Singapore Sign Shoalwater Bay Training Base Agreement

Singapore Ministry of Defence, Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean and Australian Minister for Defence Senator Robert Hill signed the new Shoalwater Bay Training Area Memorandum of Agreement in Perth earlier this afternoon. Minister Teo is on a two-day visit to Australia for the 5th Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Conference (SAJMC), a biennial meeting of the defence, foreign affairs, and trade and industry ministers of the two countries.  
 
The new MOA allows the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to deploy up to 6,600 personnel and 400 vehicles for brigade-level training at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area for a 45-day period each year, from 2005 to 2009. The Shoalwater Bay Training Area has an approximate area of 4,500 sq km, consisting of 2,700 sq km of land and 1,800 sq km of sea. It has diverse terrain, including rainforests, coastal dunes, mangrove swamps, and mountainous areas.  
 
The SAF conducts Exercise Wallaby at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area every year. This is an Armour and Guards exercise supported by the Republic of Singapore Air Force. Exercise Wallaby is one of the SAF