Five Power Exercise Bersama Shield Underway
THE Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Exercise Bersama Shield is underway, with Malaysia hosting British, Australian, New Zealand and British personnel from April 13-May 1. The exercise will take place in and around the South China Sea and across the Malaysian Peninsula.
This training activity will exercise the FPDA forces of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) in the conduct of Combined and Joint Operations at both the operational and tactical level, against a simulated enemy, within a mult-threat environment for the defence of Singapore and Malaysia. Teams will train across air, maritime, land, cyber and information domains, building interoperability and strengthening professional relationships. It is designed to enhance combined joint operations in complex, multi‑domain scenarios across land, sea, air and cyber environments. Through integrated planning and coordinated missions, participating forces will strengthen their interoperability and reinforce resilient military partnerships.
Exercise Bersama Shield is a key component of the FPDA, a multilateral security arrangement involving Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK. Established in 1971, the FPDA is the longest‑standing multilateral defence arrangement in Southeast Asia, representing more than five decades of collaboration, trust and collective commitment to regional stability. Exercises such as Bersama Shield remain critical to ensuring the FPDA continues to adapt to contemporary security challenges while promoting cooperation and preparedness among partner nations.
Australia deployed a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C‑27J Spartan aircraft and a contingent of around 130 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to participate in the exercise. Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones said Exercise Bersama Shield remains an essential demonstration of Australia’s commitment to working alongside FPDA partners to support a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.
“For more than five decades, the FPDA has played a vital role in regional security. Australia is proud of its enduring contribution to that arrangement, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen these long‑standing relationships. FPDA exercises and their operational headquarters – Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System at Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth – are essential to maintaining people‑to‑people links between partner nations and building interoperability,” VAdm Jones said.