HMAS Sydney Completes Three-Month Indo-Pacific Deployment

From late March to early July 2025, the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) HMAS Sydney, a Hobart-class destroyer, embarked on a three-month Regional Presence Deployment (RPD) 25-2 across the Indo-Pacific, strengthening alliances and promoting regional stability. The journey, marked by exercises such as Bersama Shield and Operation Highmast, showcased Australia’s commitment to a rules-based maritime order.

HMAS Sydney departed Fleet Base East in Sydney on 24 March 2025 for a high-tempo mission that included naval gunnery training at Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, before sailing from Darwin on 3 April. The deployment included participation in Exercise Bersama Shield under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), involving Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Chief of Joint Operations Vice-Admiral Justin Jones emphasised, “Regional presence deployments demonstrate Australia’s ongoing commitment to supporting regional security and stability,” according to the Department of Defence. Sydney’s crew, over 200 strong and equipped with an MH-60R helicopter, conducted multilateral cooperative activities (MCA) with the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea, reinforcing freedom of navigation.

In May, Sydney marked its fifth commissioning anniversary while enforcing United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea under Operation Argos, the 13th such RAN mission since 2018. Port visits to Singapore, Busan, and Yokosuka fostered diplomatic ties through community outreach. In June, Sydney trained with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and joined the UK Carrier Strike Group under Operation Highmast, conducting replenishments at sea with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Tidespring. Commander Ben Weller, Sydney’s Commanding Officer, noted, “This deployment allowed us to exercise the ship’s capability with different partners,” according to Defence sources.

The deployment, concluding with Exercise Talisman Sabre, underscores Australia’s strategic focus on Indo-Pacific security, independent of the current Labor government’s domestic policies. Sydney’s 29,833 nautical miles sailed highlight the RAN’s resolve to counter regional threats, particularly from assertive actors such as China, while fostering interoperability with allies. As Sydney returns to Fleet Base East, its journey reinforces Australia’s role in maintaining a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.