The Australian Defence Force is continuing its 2025 Regional Presence Deployment program with the departure of HMAS Sydney from Fleet Base East in Sydney. HMAS Sydney’s training and cooperation over the three-month period will include participation in Exercise Bersama Shield alongside Five Power Defence Arrangements nations: Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Australian Defence Force Regional Presence Deployments involve visits throughout the Indo-Pacific region, focused on participation in exercises and cooperative activities with partner nations.
Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, said these deployments strengthen cooperation between Australia and regional partners. “Regional Presence Deployments demonstrate Australia’s ongoing commitment to supporting regional security and stability and promoting a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Vice Admiral Jones said. “They highlight our contribution to the maintenance of the global rules-based order in line with our partners.”
Australian vessels and aircraft will continue to exercise our rights to freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. HMAS Hobart recently completed the first Regional Presence Deployment for 2025, which included training exercises and activities with Indonesia, France, and the Philippines.
HMAS Sydney is one of three Hobart-class air warfare destroyers in service, with a crew of more than 200 personnel and an embarked MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. Commanding Officer HMAS Sydney, Commander Ben Weller, highlighted the crew’s dedication to mission readiness as they prepared to depart.
“As we embark on this deployment, we are proud to represent Australia and contribute to regional stability and cooperation,” Commander Weller said. “This deployment will coincide with the fifth anniversary of the ship’s commissioning into service with the Navy in May, and it’s fitting the crew will mark this milestone while embarked at sea. Deployments such as this allow us to exercise the ship’s capability across a range of areas and alongside different partners, ensuring we’re prepared to work together in future.”
This Regional Presence Deployment will conclude in early July 2025.
