Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2021 (IPE21) Task Group comprising three Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessels and approximately 700 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel has arrived in Vietnam for four days of bilateral cooperation activities.
Indo-Pacific Endeavour is Australia’s flagship regional engagement activity, with the Task Group including personnel from all ADF services, Australian government agencies, as well as naval personnel from partner nations.
Amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra, guided missile frigate HMAS Anzac, and fleet replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius arrived in Cam Ranh International Port as guests of the Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence. The IPE21 Task Group was warmly welcomed on arrival by the Deputy Commander of Naval Region 4, Senior Captain Hồ Thanh Hòa, as well as representatives from Military Region 5, the Border Guards and the Australian Embassy. Following the official Welcome Ceremony Commander IPE21 Commodore Mal Wise met Senior Captain Hòa in virtual courtesy call.
The Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2021 task Group is formally welcomed by Senior Captain Nguyen Thai Hoc, Deputy Chief of Staff of Naval Region 4, and other officers from the Vietnam People’s Navy, Vietnam People’s Army-Military Region 5, Border Guards, and the Australian Embassy Vietnam.
IPE21 is the first visit by RAN ships since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bilateral engagement program includes virtual exchanges on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations; gender, peace and security; maritime security cooperation; a linkup between young ADF officers and cadets from the VPN Academy; and will culminate in a maritime training activity between RAN and VPN vessels in the waters off Cam Ranh Bay, focusing on the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES).
Commodore Wise said that the ability of Vietnam to host the Task Group during the COVID-19 pandemic was a demonstration of the depth of the Vietnam-Australia bilateral defence relationship. He remarked: “Indo-Pacific Endeavour provides a unique opportunity for us to deepen our practical naval cooperation, building on previous RAN ship visits to Vietnam, and is a good chance for us to exchange lessons learned on maritime security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and on gender, peace and security. Vietnam’s commitment to host the Task Group during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates both of our nations’ commitment to a secure, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific”.
IPE 21 encompasses a wide range of activities, spanning disaster assistance planning, multinational naval manoeuvres and military training serials with regional partners in Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. The activities are designed to foster greater understanding and interoperability between security personnel throughout the region in a COVID-19 safe manner.
Australia’s bilateral defence relationship with Vietnam also includes high-level visits and dialogues, professional military and post-graduate education, peacekeeping cooperation, maritime security engagement and counter-terrorism cooperation. Defence is a strong pillar in the Australia - Vietnam Strategic Partnership.