SHOALWATER BAY, Queensland: A new camp has been set up for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops in an expanded training area in Australia.
Known as Camp Tilpal, it can accommodate 2,000 people, up from the 1,000 at existing nearby camps such as Camp Growl at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland.
Besides the SAF, the camp can also be used by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and other troops invited by the Australian military.
The camp has already housed troops who participated in this year’s Exercise Wallaby – SAF’s largest overseas exercise.
The final phase of Wallaby, Exercise Trident, is a bilateral military exercise between Singapore and Australia conducted between Nov 6 and 15.
Following the expansion, the Shoalwater Bay Training Area is now five times the size of Singapore.
At a ceremony on Wednesday (Nov 13) to commemorate the completed expansion, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How said this was “yet another historic milestone” for both Singapore and Australia’s defence establishments.
“It is a tangible symbol of the abiding trust between us, and elevates the bilateral defence relationship as we look forward to commemorating the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations next year,” he added.
