AUS: Regional cooperation on display as Five Powers Exercise gets underway

Exercise Bersama Shield 2017 commenced today in Malaysia and Singapore with Australian Defence Force personnel supporting South East Asia’s longest enduring multilateral defence relationship, the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).

The long-running Bersama exercise series aims to enhance the interoperability between the founding members of the FPDA - Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Acting Chief of Joint Operations, Major General Stuart Smith said working alongside FPDA partners reinforces ties with regional partners in South East Asia and provides an invaluable opportunity for the Australian Defence Force to exercise in the region.

“Exercise Bersama Shield 17 is a visible example of the types of Defence relationships Australia maintains throughout the region,” Major General Smith said.

“This exercise is the centrepiece of a series of Five Power Defence Arrangements activities this year which aim to increase cooperation and interoperability between its members and makes a practical contribution to regional security resilience.”

Industry: Royal Australian Air Force surpasses 5,000 hours of King Air 350 simulator training at CAE’s Sale, Victoria training centre

A CAE Built Simulator operated by the
Royal Australian Air Force (File Photo)

Sale, Victoria, Australia, February 3, 2017 - (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) - During a ceremony held today at CAE's Sale training centre, the Honourable Darren Chester, Member of Parliament (MP), joined officers from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and officials from CAE to mark the occasion of the RAAF surpassing 5,000 hours of simulator training since the training facility opened in 2014.

"Gippsland has a long, proud history of supporting the Australian Defence Force. We should also be proud of the businesses, organisations and individuals who work so hard in our community to help RAAF Base East Sale meet its operational and training objectives," said Honourable Darren Chester MP, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Deputy Leader of the House and Federal Member for Gippsland. "Activity on the base, including the Federal Government's $200M investment in establishing East Sale as the home of aviation training in Australia, is making an enormous contribution to economic activity in Gippsland. RAAF Base East Sale is a major employer in Gippsland and uses local businesses and contractors to provide needed goods and services. I'm pleased local employers and contractors, including CAE Australia, are benefiting from the opportunities being generated by the RAAF Base."