The Indian Ocean is one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors, carrying the trade and resources that connect nations across the Indo-Pacific. Securing this vital maritime corridor is a priority shared by Australia and its regional partners.
Helping maintain awareness of activity across those waters is the mission of Operation Gateway, which concluded its first 2026 deployment from Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Base Butterworth in July.
Under the Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Program, three RAAF P-8A Poseidon aircraft deployed to Malaysia to conduct maritime domain awareness patrols across the Northeast Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
While the aircraft are Australian, every mission relies on Malaysian support.
From the moment a RAAF P-8A Poseidon starts its engines, Malaysian personnel help make the mission possible. RMAF air traffic controllers guide aircraft in and out of Butterworth, Malaysian refuelling teams prepare aircraft for long patrols and local support staff work alongside Australian personnel to keep operations running smoothly.
Detachment Commander Squadron Leader Justin McCoy said the partnership was fundamental to every mission.
“Our Malaysian partners are critical to our existence here,” Squadron Leader McCoy said.
“Without them, we couldn’t conduct the mission.”
The cooperation also extended beyond daily operations.
‘The locally engaged civilians have supported generations of Operation Gateway rotations.’
Throughout the deployment, Australian and Malaysian personnel took part in knowledge exchanges across operations, intelligence and aircrew functions. RMAF personnel also flew aboard the P-8A Poseidon through the Operation Gateway Observer Program, gaining first-hand experience alongside Australian crews.
Behind the scenes, personnel from 19 Squadron and locally engaged civilians provided the continuity that underpinned every deployment.
“The locally engaged civilians have supported generations of Operation Gateway rotations,” Squadron Leader McCoy said.
“They offer local knowledge, technical expertise and administrative support that enables Australian detachments to operate effectively from Malaysia.”
Aircraft technician Aircraftwoman Daisi-Paige Schwarz said working alongside Malaysian personnel had been one of the highlights of the deployment.
“The one thing that stands out for me is getting to work with the RMAF and representing Australia,” she said.
“It’s about building connections and forming friendships.”
As Operation Gateway marks 45 years of operations, those relationships remain at the heart of the mission, demonstrating how Australia and Malaysia continue to work together in support of regional security.
