Daily Lessons from Life 03 November 2014 - SAF, China's PLA in joint training exercise

"SAF, China's PLA in joint training exercise - CNA 03 November 2014

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are holding their third bilateral training exercise in Nanjing, China from Nov 2 to 9. Called COOPERATION 2014, the eight-day exercise will involve around 70 personnel each from the SAF and the PLA.

The training includes professional seminars and a company-level conventional infantry exercise featuring a live-firing demonstration.

The SAF is represented by personnel from the 5th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment and 3rd Singapore Division. They will participate in the exercise alongside their Chinese counterparts from the PLA 179th Brigade and Nanjing Military Region.

Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations) Brigadier-General Siew Kum Wong co-officiated the opening ceremony on Sunday (Nov 2) with Major-General Wang Chunning, Commander of 12th Mixed Group Army, Nanjing Military Region."

It has to come. That it did is a good thing for Singapore. After setting foot in Taiwan some 3 decades ago to have military exercises there for our SAF personnel as our own terrains could not accommodate that type of drills and live firing practices deemed important to prepared our troops to be 'war ready', we are now doing it in the Mainland China! What a breakthrough strategically.

Lessons for me are:

1. as a Little Red Dot, we will need others to come to our aids SHOULD, hopefully never, armed conflicts between nations ever come upon our shores! So, making good friends with strong nation like China, besides the USA, makes a lot of strategic sense;

2. it will be a learning experience no doubt for those involved in this joint-exercise to learn how the PLA functions. Maybe to strike up a few long lasting friendship along the way that will serve both nations well in the future. It will be intriguing how much trust can be build between the military personnel given that Singapore has long being seen as the closest allies of the USA in Asia Pacific and the world. The lessons learned will surely be classified and not for public consumption!;

3. it will be foolish to try to draw some parallel between the collaboration between PLA and SAF and that of SAF and the Taiwanese military of the 'Exercise Starlight' fame as Taiwan was in need of some foreign money when SAF 'rented' their training grounds for our troops. In China, and at this stage of their economic development, they are interested in establishing a respectable position in military sense in Asia Pacific given the slightly troublesome multi-nations disputed South China seas islands. Cited recently by PM Lee again in one of the regional conference.

An intriguing move by SAF and Singapore. Well done!!