Singapore is now hosting Exercise Pacific Reach 2025, a multinational Submarine Escape and Rescue exercise (SMER) with 600 participating personal from Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO).
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| Image from X@indiannavy: Submarines and ships participating in Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 --- |
This exercise is unique as it is the first time RSS Invincible is taking part in an international exercise, alongside two other AIP submarines, ROKS Shin Dol-seok and JS Kuroshiro.
A mass evacuation exercise (MASSEVEX) was staged in the waters of Changi Naval Base to simulate the evacuation of a distressed submarine, and included simulated medical treatment of decompression injuries.
Prince of Wales returns for the Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA) Bersama Lima 2025
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| Image: British High Commission in Singapore. Prince of Wales berthed at Changi Naval Base --- |
Prince of Wales is now taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima 25, an annual exercise for the Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA) between Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Australia is participating with 400 ADF personnel, F-35A jets, as well as the RAN frigate HMAS Ballarat, which is part of CSG25.
As I mentioned in my July 2025 article on PofW's first visit to Singapore, the last RN aircraft carrier to take part in an FPDA exercise was HMS Invincible in 1997.
Hi Shawn
ReplyDeleteOn Exercise Pacific Reach 2025, the absence of USN participation (with all its rescue equipment and knowledge) has dropped the alliance system to a new low level. China is participating, maybe in place of Trump's Department of War directed USN?
Methinks PofW's CSG25 is a somewhat artificial construct given it needs 2 or 3 NON-UK Royal Navy escorts to make up the numbers.
If there were a China conflict in the Indo-Pacific would regional countries have escorts to spare to aid His Majesty's carrier Lizzy or PorW (sporting only about 15 F-35Bs) in their royal progress half way round the world, over a journey of 3 weeks?
Even 2nd or 3rd string regional countries now have super or hypersonic missiles to blow HMS Lizzy or PorW out of the water.
Cheers Pete
Hi Pete2
ReplyDeleteWhat I really like about 'big deck' aircraft carriers is their ability to adapt to new technology and hardware - which is why the Nimitz-class has lasted five decades through three generations of naval aircraft - F-4, F-14, F/A-18 E/F and F-35C.
The QE2-class will evolve - more F-35Bs are being bought, and they will carry UAVs for ISR, AEW, attack and maybe even refueling. https://www.twz.com/sea/royal-navy-to-arm-its-carriers-with-long-range-missiles
All F-35B pilot training is centralised (USMC) which means that every F-35B pilot has a baseline understanding of deck landing procedures, so USMC, British, Italian, Japanese and Singaporean jets could be deployed on the HMS QE2, ITS Trieste, USS Tripoli or JS Kaga.
USN participation in Pacific Reach could be as part of ISMERLO: https://ismerlo.org/
The UK has realised that 14 surface escorts are not enough for a 'global navy', and the RAN knows this fully well, as 10 escorts (3 Hobart-class AWD destroyers and 7 Anzac-class frigates) aren't anywhere near enough for the Indo-Pacific, which is why the six Hunter-class are now supplemented by the 11 New FFM.
I expect an AWD destroyer variant from these two designs as the replacement class to the Hobart.
Hi Shawn at 9/25/2025 8:47 PM
ReplyDeleteYes Britain's QE2 carriers have a big future with rotary and fixed wing drones for ISR, AEW, attack and even refueling.
Britain may be ruing its decision not to have angled flight decks which would have allowed the wide range of fixed wing manned jets and propeller driven E-2s that the US, France and China's Fujian carrier (in record time) is now successfully launching with its EMALS https://youtu.be/sD85MKzH2aE?si=lyDyflYT1vL2VkEx .
I get the feeling that the UK RN launched the 2 QE2s in the hope the UK government would feel forced to build sufficient new escorts for 2 carrier groups and one group size in repair (under the Rule of Thirds) simultaneously. Also in the hope of buying sufficient F-35Bs and pilots for both carriers simultaneously.
Unfortunately carriers are of lower priority for the the UK's NATO First strategy than an expanded army, land based air forces, land based drones and missile forces.
I suspect the UK RN will have far less Indo-Pacific (carriers and SSNs) show the flag exercises than it has had over the last 3 years.
In Australia, fortunately those advocating F-35Bs on Canberra class LHDs have little political power.
There are more plans for more surface ships (many unrealisable) than the ongoing excessive money for AUKUS subs can afford. Naval rotary UAVs off our existing ships, fixed UAVs off the LHDs and Ghost Shark UUVs seem more affordable, hence doable.
Cheers Pete