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Malaysia’s military drills with West, Singapore spotlight its South China Sea concerns
- Australia insists this year’s Five Power Defence Arrangements drills are ‘not about China’. But analysts aren’t so sure
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Asia’s oldest defence pact is getting ready to roll out the big guns for its annual military exercises later this year, in a display of firepower analysts say is aimed at demonstrating Western powers’ commitment to Southeast Asia’s security – while also helping Malaysia send a signal to Beijing on the South China Sea.
Advanced drones, fifth-generation fighter jets and high-altitude surveillance aircraft are all set to take to the skies at this year’s Five Power Defence Arrangements’ Bersama Lima drills, which are traditionally held in October.
Australia, Britain, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore – the FDPA’s five members – unveiled details of the exercises on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum on May 31, with Canberra pledging to send F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, London hinting at the deployment of a carrier strike group and Wellington saying its P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft would be involved for the first time.
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They also agreed to expand into non-conventional areas of cooperation such as counterterrorism, humanitarian and disaster relief, and maritime security.
Since its formation in 1971, the FPDA has been accepted as a “net contributor” to regional security that does not target any one power, said Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a research fellow with the Southeast Asia programme at Australia’s Lowy Institute who specialises in defence and security issues.
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Indeed, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stressed as much at a May 31 press conference with FPDA ministers in Singapore announcing this year’s more complex drills.
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