WAIMANALO -- The Singapore and U.S. armed forces concluded the 36th annual bilateral exercise Tiger Balm 16 at a closing ceremony at the 298th Regiment, Multi-Functional Training Unit (MFTU), Regional Training Institute (RTI), here, on July 30.
"This 36 year relationship between the Singaporean army and U.S. Army is illustrated through Tiger Balm," said Maj. Gen. Charles A. Flynn, commander, 25th Infantry Division.
Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team "Broncos," 25th Infantry Division; 29th Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii Army National Guard; and the 9th Infantry Brigade, 6th Division, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) trained together during the two-week long exercise.
Flynn remarked during his speech how much the Tiger Balm exercise had developed when he was major stationed at Schofield Barracks in the late 1990s. When he arrived back to Schofield in 2014 to take the reins of command of the 25th ID the progress for Tiger Balm was even more pronounced than before.
"In just three years we've evolved from what we're doing now, it's extraordinary," he said. "That has a lot to do directly with the relationship at the very grassroots level of Soldiers, noncommissioned officers and officers here today."
He complimented on how well a platoon from 9th Inf. Bde., and a company from the 2-27th Inf. Regt., 3rd BCT, had performed extraordinarily well during their ten days of training, which culminated with a combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX) at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) on the big island of Hawaii.
Brig. Gen. Chua Boon Keat, commander, 6th Div., expressed during the ceremony's closing remarks his deepest appreciation to his division's twinning partner—the 25th Infantry Division, for their warm hospitality and professionalism in organizing the exercise.
"Exercise Tiger Balm has increased in complexity and sophistication along the years," Chua said. "This speaks volume on the quality of the relationship between the Singapore Army and U.S. Army."
"In this exercise, we have benefitted immensely by learning from one of the best Army in the world, known for their military capability and warfighting experience," he said.
He stated the exercise could not happen if not for the dedication of planners from bother armies in making this exercise a reality.
"I look forward to Exercise Tiger Balm 17 next year, which Singapore will host," he said. "It will be an exciting exercise to further enhance our professionalism and interoperability for collective benefit."
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