Singapore and US Armies train together in Tiger Balm 2019 exercise.

Commander 6th Singapore Division (6 Div), Brigadier-General (BG) Lee Yi-Jin and The Adjutant General Hawaii National Guard (TAG HING), BG Arthur J. Logan, co-officiated at the opening ceremony of Exercise Tiger Balm 2019 at Mandai Hill Camp, Singapore, on Monday, July 8.

Brig.Gen. Lee Yi-Jin sharing more about the SAR21 with Brig.Gen. Arthur J. Logan during a static display for exercise Tiger Balm 2019 (Picture source: Singapore MoD)

Exercise Tiger Balm, a brigade-level exercise, takes place from 8 to 19 July. It involves approximately 766 personnel from the 76th Singapore Infantry Brigade and 5th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment (5 SIR), and the US Army's 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2-130th Infantry Battalion (2-130 IN), and 1-23 Stryker Platoon.

Both armies will plan and execute conventional operations under the ambit of a Combined Task Force, where exercise participants undergo urban operations scenarios and deal with improvised explosive device threats. As part of the exercise, 1-23 Stryker Platoon will be operating with the US' Stryker Combat Vehicles while 5 SIR and 2-130 IN will be operating with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles. These interactions allow both sides to build military-to-military interoperability and people-to-people ties.

At a speech during the opening ceremony, BG Lee said that Exercise Tiger Balm 2019 will provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen strategic partnership between both armies and continue the spirit of learning and professional sharing. He said, "I am excited about the opportunities that Exercise Tiger Balm 2019 will provide to deepen our strategic relationship in the spirit of mutual learning and professional sharing. In particular, the exercise will allow both Armies to operate together at the Combined Task Force and Brigade levels. This exchange of knowledge and shared collective experience will be invaluable should we be called upon to operate alongside each other."

Exercise Tiger Balm was first conducted in 1981 and is the longest-running bilateral exercise between the Singapore Army and the US Army. This annual exercise allows both armies to collaborate and share tactics, techniques and procedures, and is the hallmark of excellent and long-standing ties between both armed forces.