It was mission accomplished for the multinational defence of Malaysia and Singapore during Exercise Bersama Shield, from April 7-22.
Forces from the Five Powers nations - Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK - combined their military might to ward off a fictional enemy on the water, in the air and on the ground.
An island off the Malaysian Peninsula was the focus of the exercise scenario, one an "enemy" sought to occupy to satisfy a historical claim.
Led by guided missile destroyer HMAS Sydney and a 35 Squadron C-27J Spartan, about 300 Australians joined a multinational force of more than 1000 defending Malaysia's Tioman Island.
Malaysian and Singaporean jets carried out sorties in the sky.
Ships from Australia, UK, Malaysia and Singapore hit their targets on the water.
Forward observers coordinated fire, and air defenders kept the skies safe.
In its 21st iteration, information warfare was a focus of Bersama Shield this year.
Cyber and information specialists used deep fake videos to sow disinformation in the scenario.
Phishing attacks simulated how easily an "enemy" could compromise secure networks.
Fleet Cyber's Lieutenant Jacqui Heeney gained login credentials from a handful of personnel working in the combined exercise headquarters after her simulated phishing attack. Examples she could then use for cyber awareness training for the five nations.
"It's the first time I've seen simulated phishing attacks on exercise," Lieutenant Heeney said.
"We're testing our infrastructure and teaching our people to understand what the attacks can look like and how they should react."
Relationship-building underpinned warfighting training, a key aim of the exercise, according to Commander Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System Air Vice Marshall Nathan Christie.
Interoperability began with pulling up a chair at the lunch table at Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth.
"One of the wonderful things about Five Power Defence Arrangements exercises is that personnel are exposed to many cultures," Air Vice Marshall Christie said.
"These exercises are about understanding culture, meeting as many people as you can and understanding what they bring to this integrated fight."
The main Five Powers Defence Arrangements warfighting activity, Exercise Bersama Lima, will be held in September.
