More than 400 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel honed artillery tactics in the rugged expanse of New Zealand’s North Island during the monthlong Exercise Thunder Warrior, highlighting the importance of Singapore’s network of exercise hosts stretching from Oceania to Europe and North America.
“I am heartened to see the commitment of our SAF service personnel, training and performing well in a challenging operational environment,” Singaporean Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad said after viewing live-fire drills in late January 2026.
Hosted by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) at the Waiouru Military Training Area, the annual SAF exercise first was held in 1997. It remains “a key exercise to validate our self-propelled howitzer operations and capabilities,” Zaqy posted on social media.
Singapore is one of the world’s most densely populated nations, with more than 6 million residents within its 719 square kilometers. That limits space for SAF training and exercises within the city-state’s borders.
The 630-square-kilometer Waiouru has been a military training site for more than 80 years and includes weapons ranges, maneuver areas, an urban training facility and a helicopter landing area, according to the NZDF. All New Zealand Army Soldiers complete 16-week basic training at the camp, which is home to the Army Command School.
The NZDF’s long-running support for Thunder Warrior is “aimed at facilitation rather than participation,” a spokesperson told FORUM.
Among the large-scale SAF exercises hosted overseas are:
- Exercise Wallaby, Australia: First conducted in 1990, the annual exercise is held at the Australian Defence Force’s Shoalwater Bay Training Area, which is six times larger than Singapore. The 2025 iteration included more than 5,000 SAF Airmen, Soldiers, and Digital and Intelligence Service personnel, as well as tanks, aircraft and uncrewed systems. “We must thank Australia,” Singaporean Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said during the 2025 drills. “It is through their generosity that we have been able to train and hone the SAF’s capabilities for an entire generation.”
- Exercise Bold Kurukshetra, India: Since 2005, SAF armor units have enhanced interoperability with Indian Army counterparts, including for United Nations peacekeeping operations, during Bold Kurukshetra drills at the Babina Field Firing Ranges in India’s central plains.
- Exercise Daring Warrior, United States: Hosted at the U.S. Army’s 380-square-kilometer Fort Sill in Oklahoma, home to the Fires Center of Excellence, the bilateral exercise includes live-fire drills with the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and other artillery assets. The exercise was established in 2010. The U.S. also has hosted Republic of Singapore Air Force fighter jet detachments for training and exercises for almost 30 years, including in the Western states of Arizona and Idaho.
While in New Zealand for Thunder Warrior drills, Zaqy held talks with New Zealand Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk. They reaffirmed the nations’ long-standing defense relationship and discussed expanding cooperation in areas such as uncrewed systems and supply chain resilience.
New Zealand and Singapore are members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) with Australia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Established in 1971, the nonbinding security accord is Southeast Asia’s only multilateral defense arrangement. FPDA exercises include Bersama Lima and Suman Warrior, which was hosted by New Zealand in November 2025.
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