India set to ink pact to provide Singapore facilities for naval drills and logistics

NEW DELHI: India is getting set to provide naval practice and logistics facilities to Singapore, which will include live firing drills in the Andamans, to add to the ones already being provided to the army and air force of the city-state for the last 10 years.

Visiting Singapore defence minister Ng Eng Hen, who reached New Delhi from the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal on Tuesday, will hold delegation-level talks with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman in South Block on Wednesday. The bilateral naval agreement is also slated to be inked during the talks.

With land and airspace being a scarce commodity in Singapore, the city state has been utilizing Indian military facilities to train its own small but high-tech armed forces under special agreements first signed in 2007 and 2008.
India, for instance, provides facilities to Singapore for exercises of mechanized forces at Babina and artillery at Deolali ranges as well as for fighters at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal. The two countries also regularly hold the Simbex naval wargames, which have graduated from being purely anti-submarine warfare exercises to complex ones involving multiple facets of operations at sea.

With an eye firmly on China, India over the last several years has worked towards deepening military ties with ASEAN countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia in accordance with its "Act East" policy.


India, for instance, provides military supplies and submarine training to sailors from Vietnam, and will soon begin to also train its fighter pilots on Sukhoi jets. Moreover, it has also offered BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Akash area defence missile systems to Vietnam. Similarly, India has also offered to train Indonesian navy in submarine warfare, in addition to holding joint combat exercises with the country.


https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...drills-and-logistics/articleshow/61837951.cms

 

Ministry of Defence
29-November, 2017 13:26 IST
Joint statement by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Defence of the Republic of India and Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence of the Republic of Singapore

The 2nd Defence Ministers’ Dialogue between India and Singapore was successfully concluded today. It was inaugurated after both countries signed the revised Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in 2015 to further strengthen the longstanding defence relationship between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Indian Armed Forces.

Of particular significance during this meeting was the conclusion of the India-Singapore Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation, which will lead to increased cooperation in maritime security, joint exercises, temporary deployments from each other’s naval facilities and mutual logistics support. Both Ministers looked forward to the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise next year.

Dr Ng expressed his appreciation for India’s continued support for the SAF’s training in India, covered by the Air Force and Army Bilateral Agreements. Both Ministers welcomed the renewal of the Air Force Bilateral Agreement on the sidelines of the 11th Singapore-India Defence Policy Dialogue in January this year, and looked forward to the successful renewal of the Army Bilateral Agreement next year.

On regional security, both Ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining maritime freedom of navigation and trade consistent with international law. India plays a vital role in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus. Both Ministers also discussed Singapore’s proposal to expand the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea to all ADMM-Plus countries as well as to establish guidelines for air encounters between military aircraft, in order to reduce the risk of miscalculations.

Appreciating India’s leading role in the Indian Ocean Region, Dr Ng agreed to India’s proposal for continuous and institutionalised naval engagements in their shared maritime space, including establishing maritime exercises with like-minded regional/ ASEAN partners.

Both Ministers emphasised the importance of international cooperation in tackling transnational security threats, and in particular measures to collectively tackle the threat of terrorism.

Both Ministers also commended the progress made since the India-Singapore Defence Technology Steering Committee was set up in October 2006 to launch joint research projects. Dr Ng expressed his appreciation for India’s offer of its test ranges and infrastructure to Singapore for the conduct of testing and evaluation for R&D projects.

Singapore and India have also made progress in defence industry cooperation, with the signing of the terms of reference for the Defence Industry Working Group (DIWG) in August this year. Both Ministers agreed that this would facilitate greater collaboration in aerospace, electronics and other areas of mutual interest between the defence industries of both countries.

Dr Ng expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s acceptance as keynote speaker for the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue to articulate India’s vision for a stable Indo-Pacific region.

 

The Defence Minister of Singapore, Dr. Ng Eng Hen homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, in New Delhi on November 29, 2017.


The Defence Minister of Singapore, Dr. Ng Eng Hen inspecting the Tri-Services Guard of Honour, in New Delhi on November 28, 2017.

The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman receiving the Defence Minister of Singapore, Dr. Ng Eng Hen, at South Block, in New Delhi on November 28, 2017.

 

The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and the Defence Minister of Singapore, Dr. Ng Eng Hen at a bilateral meeting, in New Delhi on November 29, 2017.


The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba exchanging the signed documents of bilateral agreement with the Naval Chief of Singapore Rear Admiral Lew Chuen Hong, in the presence of the Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and the Defence Minister of Singapore, Dr. Ng Eng Hen, in New Delhi on November 29, 2017. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa is also seen.


The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman making a press statement after bilateral talks with the Defence Minister of Singapore, Dr. Ng Eng Hen, in New Delhi on November 29, 2017.

 

DH News Service, New Delhi, Nov 29 2017, 18:59 IST

The code is an international agreement to reduce the chance of a maritime confrontation between countries. As many as 21 countries, including the US, Russia, China, Japan and France have joined the agreement. File photo for representational purposes.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/645399/india-singapore-favour-multilateral-naval.html


India and Singapore on Wednesday favoured having a naval exercise in an area between the Andaman Sea and Malacca Strait with the participation of more South Asian nations - a move that may upset China.

"Both countries want to see more participation and more activity in the Malacca strait and Andaman sea. We left it to the officials to flesh it out," Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said here after bilateral talks and signing of a naval cooperation agreement.

He was responding to a query on whether Singapore that would be chairing the Asean block of nations from January 1, 2018, would encourage increased Asean-level maritime engagement with India.

"The straits of Malacca and the Andaman Sea are key sea lanes of communication. It makes sense for countries to cooperate not only to establish maritime security but also to ensure continued freedom of navigation, because it is a lifeline to our economies and any disruption will affect our people and well being," Hen said.

Though no names were taken, the obvious reference was to China, whose increasing muscle-flexing in the South China Sea has become a cause of concern for South Asian nations. Both countries stressed on the need to have the freedom to navigate in the sea and air.

"We discussed at length our desire to step up cooperation in the maritime domain and institutionalising these mechanisms where we would have more bilateral and multilateral maritime exchanges, especially in India's waters and in the straits of Malacca. Singapore has strongly supported India's proposals," said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

China took strong objections to the only multilateral naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal - Malabar in 2007 - involving five nations, including Singapore.

The two ministers also discussed Singapore's proposal to expand the code of unplanned encounters at sea to all ADMM-Plus countries (a block of South Asian nations with some external participants) as well as to establish guidelines to avoid encounters between military aircraft, in order to reduce the risk of miscalculations.

The code is an international agreement to reduce the chance of a maritime confrontation between countries. As many as 21 countries, including the US, Russia, China, Japan and France have joined the agreement.

The naval agreement, signed between the two nations, would not only facilitate Singapore Navy personnel and warships getting trained in India, but would allow Indian warships to replenish their fuel and ration at Changi port.

"We would encourage Indian Navy ships to visit Changi more often," said Hen, who flew in the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft at Kalaikunda on Tuesday. The pact entails mutual logistics support to the naval ships.