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 Viet Nam for four days of bilateral cooperation activities.
Commodore Mal Wise, Commander Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2021, along with Commanding Officers of HMAS Canberra, HMAS Anzac, HMAS Sirius, and members of his staff, are formally welcomed upon the arrival of the Task Group in Cam Ranh Bay.
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 Viet Nam’s Ministry of National Defence.
The IPE21 Task Group was warmly welcomed on arrival by the Deputy Commander of Naval Region 4, Senior Captain Ho Thanh Hoa, 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 Hoa in virtual courtesy call.
Guided-missile frigate HMAS Anzac (150), fleet replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius (266), and amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra (L02), berthed in Cam Ranh Bay as part of their Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2021 port visit.
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 Viet Nam to host the Task Group during the COVID-19 pandemic was a demonstration of the depth of the Viet Nam-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 Viet Nam, 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.
Viet Nam’s commitment to host the Task Group during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates both of our nation's commitment to a secure, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific”.
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 Viet Nam People’s Navy, Viet Nam People’s Army-Military Region 5, Border Guards, and the Australian Embassy Viet Nam.
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, Viet Nam, 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.
Guided-missile frigate HMAS Anzac Enters Cam Ranh Bay as part of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2021 port visit.
Australia’s bilateral defence relationship with Viet Nam 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-Viet Nam Strategic Partnership.