WELLINGTON, Oct. 13 -- The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced Monday that it has deployed an army platoon group and a naval dive team to the annual Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) exercise in Singapore.

A group of NZDF staff officers would also work in the exercise headquarters for Exercise Bersama Lima, which opened Sunday and runs until Oct. 21.

The NZDF contingent would work alongside naval, air and ground forces from the other FPDA nations -- Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia -- to deal with a range of possible threats, said Commodore John Campbell.

"These countries are our close friends and allies, and exercising with them in a variety of scenarios enhances the capability and interoperability of us all, not just in defence areas, but also in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief tasks around the region," Campbell said in a statement.

"By exercising together we understand the strengths that we all bring to the table when we are required to work together."

The FPDA was created by the partners in 1971 to take the place of UK forces as they withdrew from the region, leaving Malaysia and Singapore with significant gaps in their defence capabilities.