India- Singapore Defence Exercises by Pankaj Jha
India- Singapore naval exercises; SIMBEX (Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercises) held near the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in the Bay of Bengal, concluded after more than two weeks of naval manoeuvres on 16 April 2010. These exercises showcased the 17th year of naval cooperation between the two countries and during this period the exercises have graduated from the anti- submarine exercises to passing exercises to more complex simulation, war time strategy and war gaming . Among all the countries of Southeast Asia, Indias defence cooperation with Singapore has been the most pronounced and has manifested itself in the form of cooperation and joint exercises with the three wings of the armed forces of the two countries.
While the naval cooperation was heralded since 1994 with the anti-submarine exercises in Vishakhapatnam, air force joint exercises took nearly a decade to start in Gwalior in 2003. Army exercises were initiated subsequently in Central India and the recent exercises code named Bold Kurukshetra, comes as the sixth in the series of exercises which had become an annual event starting in 2004. The army exercises have been concentrated primarily in Devalali and Babina field firing ranges and have given a theatre awareness as well as interoperability between the armies of the two nations. Though Singapores armed forces comprise a majority of conscripts but the understanding that has developed between the two armies has been very fruitful.
The Indian Army has showcased a professional approach to conflict situations and war time operations while Singapore armed forces have tested their weapons and men under harsh tropical conditions. Singapore has joint training agreements with Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States and Australia but Indian exercises have gained a prominent position in their annual calendar. The bilateral exercises with Singapore gave India an opportunity to conduct joint naval exercises with Singapore in the South China Sea in 2005 and again in 2009. This has given a new strategic orientation to Indias navy by creating awareness about the future conflict theatres and power projection capabilities. The Indian Navys venture in the contentious South China Sea is also propelled because of the latent strategic heat generated owing to the naval modernization and increasing submarine strength of China. Apart from these, the most compelling reason has been the formation of Chinas Indian Ocean policy.
The multilateral operational readiness and interoperability was tested when Singapore participated in Malabar exercises in 2007 with the navies of India, the United States, Japan and Australia. These exercises generated a lot of heartburn in China and were not repeated to avoid giving any notion of concert of powers against China. Air Force exercises with Singapore which have been previously concentrated in Gwalior have now shifted to Kalaikunda air force base where India has given Singapore warehouse and basing rights for their aircraft. This was followed by warehousing facilities for military equipment and weapons in central India. This multifaceted partnership in defence has also percolated to cooperation in mitigating Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) effects as well as cooperation in nuclear medicine. The defence research agencies of the two countries are also looking for sharing of technology in few non-lethal areas and there have been a number of talks between DRDO scientists of India and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) personnel of Singapore. An agreement between the two research institutions was codified in the year 2006.
The understanding has been growing and this has been manifested through training, bilateral visits and strategic dialogue. India- Singapore defence cooperation has manifested itself in wide ranging activities from testing of new weapon systems, orientation courses for the officers, maintenance of Indian ships in Singapore ports and war time operational understanding. The cooperation also translated into understanding about the strategic complexities and the enigma about the rise of China. While India has been evolving into an important strategic partner of United States subject to conditions of technology transfer, high technology exports as well as nuclear energy assistance, Singapore has been more proactive in terms of offering the US the basing rights in the post- Cold War phase when its bases in Philippines were getting closed down. Also Singapore has been hosting about 100 US naval ships annually in its ports and has evolved as a permanent ally of the US in the region.
The benefits that accrued to Singapore have been immense and this included the opening of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities by the US aviation majors as well as the priority reservation for Singapore for the fifth generation fighter, better known as F-35. India has been looking towards Singapore for basing facilities in Changi base. In the Indian Ocean, India is trying to garner strategic advantage through the biennial exercises code named Milan and has institutionalized a multilateral Naval forum better known as Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) for addressing common maritime concerns. In both these initiatives Singapore has been an active participant. Indias defence diplomacy is bearing dividends and so it is going to be more structured, intense and complex in the coming years.
India- Singapore naval exercises; SIMBEX (Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercises) held near the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in the Bay of Bengal, concluded after more than two weeks of naval manoeuvres on 16 April 2010. These exercises showcased the 17th year of naval cooperation between the two countries and during this period the exercises have graduated from the anti- submarine exercises to passing exercises to more complex simulation, war time strategy and war gaming . Among all the countries of Southeast Asia, Indias defence cooperation with Singapore has been the most pronounced and has manifested itself in the form of cooperation and joint exercises with the three wings of the armed forces of the two countries.
While the naval cooperation was heralded since 1994 with the anti-submarine exercises in Vishakhapatnam, air force joint exercises took nearly a decade to start in Gwalior in 2003. Army exercises were initiated subsequently in Central India and the recent exercises code named Bold Kurukshetra, comes as the sixth in the series of exercises which had become an annual event starting in 2004. The army exercises have been concentrated primarily in Devalali and Babina field firing ranges and have given a theatre awareness as well as interoperability between the armies of the two nations. Though Singapores armed forces comprise a majority of conscripts but the understanding that has developed between the two armies has been very fruitful.
The Indian Army has showcased a professional approach to conflict situations and war time operations while Singapore armed forces have tested their weapons and men under harsh tropical conditions. Singapore has joint training agreements with Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States and Australia but Indian exercises have gained a prominent position in their annual calendar. The bilateral exercises with Singapore gave India an opportunity to conduct joint naval exercises with Singapore in the South China Sea in 2005 and again in 2009. This has given a new strategic orientation to Indias navy by creating awareness about the future conflict theatres and power projection capabilities. The Indian Navys venture in the contentious South China Sea is also propelled because of the latent strategic heat generated owing to the naval modernization and increasing submarine strength of China. Apart from these, the most compelling reason has been the formation of Chinas Indian Ocean policy.
The multilateral operational readiness and interoperability was tested when Singapore participated in Malabar exercises in 2007 with the navies of India, the United States, Japan and Australia. These exercises generated a lot of heartburn in China and were not repeated to avoid giving any notion of concert of powers against China. Air Force exercises with Singapore which have been previously concentrated in Gwalior have now shifted to Kalaikunda air force base where India has given Singapore warehouse and basing rights for their aircraft. This was followed by warehousing facilities for military equipment and weapons in central India. This multifaceted partnership in defence has also percolated to cooperation in mitigating Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) effects as well as cooperation in nuclear medicine. The defence research agencies of the two countries are also looking for sharing of technology in few non-lethal areas and there have been a number of talks between DRDO scientists of India and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) personnel of Singapore. An agreement between the two research institutions was codified in the year 2006.
The understanding has been growing and this has been manifested through training, bilateral visits and strategic dialogue. India- Singapore defence cooperation has manifested itself in wide ranging activities from testing of new weapon systems, orientation courses for the officers, maintenance of Indian ships in Singapore ports and war time operational understanding. The cooperation also translated into understanding about the strategic complexities and the enigma about the rise of China. While India has been evolving into an important strategic partner of United States subject to conditions of technology transfer, high technology exports as well as nuclear energy assistance, Singapore has been more proactive in terms of offering the US the basing rights in the post- Cold War phase when its bases in Philippines were getting closed down. Also Singapore has been hosting about 100 US naval ships annually in its ports and has evolved as a permanent ally of the US in the region.
The benefits that accrued to Singapore have been immense and this included the opening of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities by the US aviation majors as well as the priority reservation for Singapore for the fifth generation fighter, better known as F-35. India has been looking towards Singapore for basing facilities in Changi base. In the Indian Ocean, India is trying to garner strategic advantage through the biennial exercises code named Milan and has institutionalized a multilateral Naval forum better known as Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) for addressing common maritime concerns. In both these initiatives Singapore has been an active participant. Indias defence diplomacy is bearing dividends and so it is going to be more structured, intense and complex in the coming years.
