The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are a series of bilateral defence relationships established by a series of multi-lateral agreements between the Commonwealth countries Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Signed in 1971, the FPDA consists of the five powers consulting each other "immediately" in the event of threat or an armed attack on any of the FPDA members for the purpose of deciding what measures should be taken, jointly or separately in response.

There is no specific commitment to intervene militarily, and the agreement is merely consultative. The Five Powers Defence Arrangements do not refer to exclusive economic zones (EEZ), and the enforcement of a state's EEZ rights is a matter for that state, which may request the assistance of other states in so doing.

Foundations & principles

The FPDA’s founding principles continue to form the bedrock of activities and exercises. First, as a defensive arrangement, the FPDA should maintain a non-threatening posture to avoid rousing sensitivities in the region. Second, as a multilateral security arrangement, the FPDA should proceed at a pace comfortable to all, cognisant of multilateral, bilateral and national sensitivities. Third, given the constantly changing strategic environment, the FPDA should continually develop and evolve to remain relevant as a security arrangement.

In line with the FPDA Joint Communiqué of 16 April 1971, two councils, the Joint Consultative Council and the Air Defence Council, were established. The Joint Consultative Council provided a forum for regular consultations at the senior official-level on matters relating to the defence arrangements. The Air Defence Council was responsible for the functioning of the Headquarters Integrated Air Defence System (HQIADS).

With the expansion and complexity of FPDA exercises and the move towards joint and combined exercises over the years, the two councils were amalgamated in terms of their functions and tasks as well as memberships to improve the management and coordination of FPDA activities. The merged Council was named the FPDA Consultative Council (FCC). There is also a Five Powers Defence Arrangements Ministerial Meeting (FDMM).

thumb|[[RMAF Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia.]]

John Moore, then Minister of Defence of Australia said, "As an established multilateral security framework, the FPDA has a unique role in Asia. It is of strategic benefit to all member nations and, in Australia's view, to the wider Asia-Pacific region." Malaysia's CDF, former General (GEN) Tan Sri Dato' Sri Zulkifeli Bin Mohd Zin concurred: "We can help each other... and cooperate with one another."

In the June 2016 New Zealand defence White Paper, it was outlined that given New Zealand was a longstanding member of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, it would, "meet its commitments should Malaysia or Singapore be subject to a military attack."

40th anniversary

On 1 November 2011, Singapore hosted FPDA's 40th anniversary celebrations, with the defence ministers, aircraft and servicemen from all five signatory countries converging on Changi Air Base (East) to participate in the event. Later, a gala dinner was hosted by Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen at Singapore's Istana whereupon they called on Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong to discuss a multitude of issues. Codenamed Exercise Bersama Lima, the three days joint exercise tested the readiness and co-operation between all participating countries and concluded on 4 November 2011.

50th anniversary

On 18 October 2021, FPDA celebrated its 50th anniversary with joint air and naval displays involving the ships and aircraft of the member countries. These were observed by Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and the High Commissioners of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Prior to this, a two-week joint exercise had taken place, known as Exercise Bersama Gold in honour of the FPDA's golden jubilee. It was the first FPDA exercise held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and involved 2,600 military personnel, air and maritime sea training exercises, and a virtual jungle warfare workshop. Participating ships included the Australian amphibious assault ship and New Zealand's replenishment tanker. The British destroyer also took part in the exercise but missed the final days due to technical issues. Whilst in the region at the time, did not participate in the exercise, likely due to the presence of United States Marine Corps on the aircraft carrier.

50 years and beyond

The five member-nations continue to contribute to combined and joint exercises, and training opportunities that focus on high-end conventional warfighting, while also being flexible in responding to the changing security landscape. This includes expanding maritime security, counter-terrorism, HADR, and non-combatant evacuation operations.

Additionally, new and emerging capabilities will become more prevalent over the next decade, such as cybersecurity and unmanned aircraft systems. Progress on developing capacity in these areas will continue to be made at a pace comfortable to all member-nations.

The official FPDA website, https://www.fivepowerdefencearrangements.org/ was also launched on the FDMM, that seeks to give additional insight to the public on how the FPDA functions as a defensive arrangement aimed at building trust and confidence in the region.

The FPDA Website serves to promote the FPDA as an authoritative source on its history, supporting the guiding principles of; Remit; Relevance; and Reassurance. It seeks to demonstrate the FPDA’s relevance as a security arrangement, with accurate information.

Personnel and facilities

Australia

Australia maintains the following personnel and facilities at RMAF Butterworth in Malaysia:

  • No. 19 Squadron (19SQN) – A ground support squadron.
  • No. 92 Wing Detachment Alpha (92WG Det A) with Boeing P-8 Poseidon Staff at Sembawang total three Ministry of Defence civil servants, one Chief Petty Officer and one Petty officer (RN). The present UK Defence Adviser to Singapore as of 2015 is a Royal Navy Commander.
  • Staff in the Integrated Area Defence System Headquarters (HQ IADS) at RMAF Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia consisting of one Wing Commander, one Squadron Leader, one Lieutenant Commander, one Major and one Flight Sergeant.

Exercises

thumb|18 FPDA warships in formation for Exercise Bersama Lima 18 in 2018.

thumb|[[HMS Argyll (F231)|HMS Argyll firing her 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun during Exercise Bersama Lima in 2018.]]

thumb|[[Royal Air Force|RAF Typhoon aircraft on Exercise Bersama Lima 2019 at RMAF Butterworth.]]

Since its formation, the FPDA has conducted multilateral military exercises involving all five member states with operational command alternating between Singapore and Malaysia. These began as intermittent Air Defence Exercises (ADEX) in the 1970s before land and sea components were added in the 1980s. Non-FPDA representatives are often invited to observe the drills.

  • Exercise Bersama Padu – The name of this exercise translates to "Together United" in Malay. The inaugural exercise in 2006 took place in Singapore and the South China Sea and consisted of 21 warships, 85 aircraft and 1 submarine as well as ground components. Operational planning took place at Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore.
  • Exercise Suman Warrior – A land-based exercise which originated in the 1990s and takes place in Australia and New Zealand. SUMAN WARRIOR is an annual land-based CPX solely to exercise FPDA land forces up to Brigade level. This exercise is unique in that it is hosted by each of the five nations and is the only FPDA exercise to occur outside of Singapore and Malaysia.

The name SUMAN is an acronym from the first letters of the five nations; the exercise has occurred since 1990. BERSAMA SHIELD is a tactical integration exercise for FPDA air and maritime forces at the tactical-level. Hosted by HQIADS, the exercise occurs annually in Malaysia and Singapore, and routinely involves over 50 aircraft, 3-6 ships and several ground-based air defence units. The exercise has been held annually since 2004, evolving from earlier FPDA exercise iterations such as STARDEX, FLYING FISH, and STARFISH. BERSAMA LIMA is a tactical-level exercise with an operational-level headquarters aimed at exercising FPDA combined and joint forces, including a land element. It is planned and led by the Malaysian Armed Forces or Singapore Armed Forces in alternate years. In addition to augmentation at the Combined and Joint HQ, BERSAMA LIMA routinely sees 60-80 aircraft, 10-15 ships, 1-2 submarines and a Land Component.