S’pore troops train with US Marines in bilateral exercise

From 17 to 26 Mar, more than 600 soldiers from 3rd Battalion, Singapore Guards (3 Gds) and 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade trained and fought in a series of missions with about 200 troops from the Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA). 

This marks the 27th edition of Exercise Valiant Mark, an annual bilateral exercise between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC). 

Conducted here in Singapore, this year’s exercise included professional exchanges, live-firing and heliborne training, culminating in a bilateral urban operations mission at the newly open SAFTI City.

Check out these snapshots of the soldiers in action!

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Mohamad Fahrul Bin Saaid was proud to have the chance to lead the Combined Joint Task Force for Exercise Valiant Mark.

“It is a great honour for me to lead the Combined Joint Task Force. This (exercise) enhances the partnership between the two armies by allowing us to do operationally realistic training with new facilities like SAFTI City,” said the 36-year-old, who is also the Commanding Officer of 3 Gds. 

Major (MAJ) Karl Hu, the USMC’s Lead Exercise Planner, believed the exercise allowed soldiers from both militaries to strengthen their brotherly bonds. 

“The time that we spent together – eating, training, working out – allowed a lot of the soldiers to build a greater understanding and appreciation, not just of the different militaries, but also of our different cultures,” said MAJ Hu, 37. He is also the Future Operations Officer for MRF-SEA.