Progress made on developing SAF's training areas in Australia and Guam: Ng Eng Hen
SINGAPORE —The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is making good progress in developing training areas at two locations in Australia and another in the US territory of Guam as it aims to have the “best training facilities in the world”, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament on Monday (2 March).
Under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia, the SAF is developing training areas in Shoalwater Bay and Greenvale.
These facilities will allow for up to 14,000 SAF personnel from “all three Services” and 2,400 vehicles to be deployed per year for combined air and land training in an area “approximately 10 times the size of Singapore”, said Dr Ng during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate.
Construction at Shoalwater Bay is scheduled for completion in 2024, while Greenvale is expected to be ready in 2028.
Dr Ng noted that “significant progress” had been made with last year’s completion of an ammunition storage building.
The Combined Arms Air-Land Ranges currently being developed will allow the Army and Air Force to train together with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, artillery and other combined arms platforms, he added. On top of this, there will be a facility for live-firing training in a realistic urban environment.
“These facilities will be equipped with advanced targetry and instrumentation. In essence, when completed, we can conduct complex training on a much larger scale, that only few militaries are able to, elsewhere,” said Dr Ng.
‘Larger scale’ training in Guam
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) also has plans to deploy its F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, along with supporting assets such as early warning aircraft, to the island of Guam for training. This comes after Dr Ng’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper in December last year.
With a total training airspace over 80 times the size of Singapore, the area will allow air-to-air and air-to-ground live-firing with advanced munitions. The Guam facility is expected to be ready in 2029.
“The airspace around Guam, together with training facilities, will allow the RSAF to conduct larger scale, more complex, and realistic Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground training,” said Dr Ng.
“At the same time, this detachment in Guam, alongside other fighter deployments in Australia, India, and Thailand will allow quick re-deployment back to Singapore when required.”
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