Two Royal Navy warships have completed a major ten-day workout in the South China Sea with allies.
Royal Navy patrol ships HMS Spey and HMS Tamar led the UK’s participation in Bersama Lima 2026, a multinational military exercise involving the five members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA): the UK, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.
Bersama Lima 2026 demonstrated the five nations’ continued commitment to regional security under the FPDA, a defense arrangement established more than 50 years ago.
The exercise tested the participating forces’ ability to operate together across land, sea and air domains through a series of increasingly complex scenarios, culminating in a two-day war game.
Before the operational phase, personnel spent a week familiarizing themselves with each other’s vessels, equipment, procedures and communications to improve interoperability during at-sea operations.
The maritime phase involved corvettes, frigates, patrol ships and a submarine. Activities included maritime security operations, boarding and searching suspect vessels, shore-based target engagement directed by soldiers aboard ships, anti-submarine warfare and air defense exercises supported by aircraft.
HMS Tamar hosted a Royal New Zealand Navy Deployable Boarding Team, which conducted simulated inspections of vessels suspected of illegal fishing and narcotics smuggling. The training also prepared the team and the ship for upcoming maritime patrol duties.
Commander Tom Lindsey, commanding officer of HMS Tamar, said the exercise provided an opportunity to test his crew’s warfighting skills alongside FPDA partners. He highlighted the participation of fifth-generation fighter aircraft, international boarding teams and Singapore’s newest submarine, as well as the forces’ ability to assemble a task group and operate together across different scenarios.
HMS Spey and HMS Tamar are Portsmouth-based River-class offshore patrol vessels, each crewed by approximately 60 sailors. They have maintained a continuous Royal Navy presence in the Indo-Pacific for more than five years under Operation Highmast.
Following the exercise, HMS Spey headed to Southeast Asia for several weeks of patrols and diplomatic engagement. HMS Tamar was scheduled to travel toward Australia and New Zealand through Pacific island chains, conducting maritime security patrols and countering illegal fishing.
