Australia and Singapore yesterday announced that the two countries will jointly develop military training areas and facilities in Australia in a move that will enhance training by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Down Under.

Calling the deal a wish come true, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post yesterday morning: “For the SAF, it means we have secured another 25 years to train in an even larger area, and to build state-of-the-art training facilities for combined arms and joint exercises.

“This training will sharpen the SAF to one of the most well-trained and proficient militaries in the region, to keep Singapore and Singaporeans well protected.”

… Speaking to TODAY, analyst Dr Daniel Chua also does not foresee any negative reactions from other countries over Singapore and Australia’s new agreement, pointing out that the two nations are not seen as threatening to the region.

“Both countries contribute to the region positively through economic and political cooperation in various forums, so the enhancement of Singapore-Australian ties should not raise alarm,” said the assistant professor at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.