Expanded Ex Wallaby

Based on the tsunami that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2010, this was the exercise scenario presented to troops from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Time was, of course, essential and the SAF deployed Army, Navy and Air Force elements to assist the ADF in HADR efforts.

The Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Resolution was used to coordinate operations with the set-up of a Combined Task Force Headquarters (CTF HQ) that comprised planners from both countries' armed forces.

Bilateral collaboration

This was the first-ever HADR component of Exercise Wallaby, the SAF's annual training held in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) of Queensland. Codenamed Trident, this segment involved 605 soldiers, 232 sailors, 100 airmen and 14 ADF planners and observers.

Held from 18 to 24 Nov 2013, Exercise Trident enhanced cooperation and interoperability between the SAF and the ADF in the area of HADR operations, which has grown in importance in recent years.

Brigadier-General (BG) Desmond Tan, the SAF Exercise Director for frame three of Exercise Wallaby, elaborated that this was because of the recent increase in natural disasters occurring in the ASEAN region.

"Australia has a huge coastline and this allowed us to conduct Ship-to-Shore operations which were akin to what we did in Operation Flying Eagle when the tsunami struck Aceh in 2004. Since then, we haven't deployed this level of task force, so we thought we would try to keep our HADR readiness and capabilities current," he explained.

The Chief Guards Officer also added that Exercise Trident allowed the SAF and ADF to exchange ideas and practices, learn from each other and maintain the ability to send their forces to assist any country when disaster strikes.

The exercise involved a substantial amount of planning and coordination among the SAF officers from the Army and Navy, as well as the ADF planners.

Termed Liaison Officers (LOs), these personnel from both countries gathered information from their respective agencies - the SAF from their ground troops and the ADF from their civilian agencies and armed forces - to update and coordinate their plans with each other, and fed the information back to their agencies so that the operations could run smoothly.

The Navy LOs, who were based in the CTF HQ, liaised with the Army troops on the ground and updated the HQ accordingly. They also developed and coordinated plans with their Australian counterparts.

For Captain (CPT) Joshua He, working with the ADF was a valuable learning experience as there were ample opportunities for the sharing of information and processes.

The Navy LO and Task Group Assistant Operations Officer in the CTF HQ, who has worked with several Australian Navy Officers, said: "I worked closely with Lieutenant Commander (LT CDR) Joscelyn Oates... It was interesting to hear her perspectives on the HADR mission and their training doctrine in conducting such missions."

The information shared by the ADF also included their knowledge of the local areas and the sea conditions, which made it easier for the SAF to execute the mission effectively.

CPT He added: "They gave us some tips… and I also showed them how we do things on board our ships. This allowed us to improve our best practices as well as our standard operating procedures."

The 26-year-old's sentiments were shared by LT CDR Oates, a Navy LO from ADF. "From our meetings, I've learnt that the Australian Navy has a very similar capability and planning process to the RSN. Watching each other in operations now will come in useful when a real situation occurs."

Providing medical support

Once the initial planning was done, the CTF HQ sent out two teams to survey the site. The Needs Assessment Survey Team (NAST), consisting of engineers and doctors, were flown into the disaster area by a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Super Puma to assess the damage while the Beach Survey Team (BST) travelled by Fast Craft Utility (FCU) boats to scout for beach-landing sites.

The FCUs and Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo Vs (LARC-Vs) were then used to ferry 5-tonner trucks containing reconstruction materials and supplies in a Ship-to-Shore operation. These carriers also transported bulldozers which helped to pave the way for the trucks to move with ease to the disaster site and to clear the roads for the ADF to enter.

After finding an appropriate location for the set-up of a makeshift medical station, the NAST team gave the go-ahead for the medical team from Combat Service Support Battalion (CSSB) to fly into the disaster area.

Time was of the essence in administering treatment to the casualties. Doctors and medics had to work as fast as possible to scavenge for any usable materials - such as tables, chairs and working lights amid the damaged infrastructure - to create a working hospital environment.

Despite being armed with limited medical supplies, the Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) battalion created eight medical stations.

With 60 SAF personnel, including five doctors, these NSmen worked on a 12-hour shift in order for the medical stations to be run 24/7. Throughout this time, the team's reaction to various scenarios, such as a mass casualty situation, was tested.

Explaining the rationale for the multiple scenarios, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (NS) (Dr) Koh Poh Koon said: "This puts NSmen in their training mindset…so that when overwhelming casualties happen, they know how to prioritise and issue timely treatment."

The CSSB Commanding Officer (CO) added that being on a three-week In-Camp Training session and working in an HADR operation allowed the NSmen team to better understand the needs of victims in such situations.

"It could happen to any of us... Practising this scenario in Exercise Wallaby gives us the comfort and confidence that if disaster strikes Singapore, we are ready to stand up and be of help to our own people," he said.