Nations from the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) have gathered in Malaysia for Exercise Bersama Lima 2025, a multilateral training activity focused on strengthening regional security through combined air, sea, and land operations, according to the Royal Air Force.
This year’s exercise was hosted by the Royal Malaysian Air Force at Joint Force Headquarters. The series, established in 1971, remains a core element of defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, promoting trust, transparency, and shared training processes among its members: Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Major Mohammad Irwan, the RMAF lead exercise planner, said: “It is a great honour for Malaysia to host this exercise and it gives us an opportunity to learn together with the other countries.”
A notable addition in 2025 was the integration of the UK Carrier Strike Group, which recently arrived in Singapore as part of Operation Highmast. The group’s presence allowed joint training alongside allied air and maritime assets, including 5th generation fighter aircraft.
The Royal Air Force confirmed that A400M and Voyager aircraft from the Air Mobility Force will contribute to the exercise in coordination with land activities and the carrier group. They will operate alongside RMAF A400 and C-130H aircraft, as well as a Royal Australian Air Force C-27J from 35 Squadron.
Wing Commander Mark Taylor, Deputy Exercise Controller, said: “The UK have pleasure of working with our FPDA partners in Malaysia whose lead it is this year, to build a programme of which Headquarters Integrated Area Defence is responsible for overseeing to make sure it is exciting, challenging and meets all of our training objectives from a national perspective.”
The RAF said Bersama Lima continues to address regional security challenges ranging from terrorism and cyber warfare to humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The full release is available here.
