Singapore Co-Hosts ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise

From left to right: Chief of Naval Staff from the Indian Navy (IN), Admiral Hari Kumar, Chief of Navy from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Rear-Admiral Sean Wat, and Co-exercise Directors, Commodore Prakash Gopalan and Colonel Ng Kok Yeng Daniel at the opening ceremony of Exercise ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Indian Navy (IN) are co-hosting the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) from 2 to 8 May 2023. The exercise involves 9 ships^[1], 6 aircraft^[2], and over 1,800 personnel from ASEAN Member States and India. The RSN is participating with its Formidable-class frigate RSS Supreme.

The exercise comprises a shore phase at RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base (CNB), followed by a sea phase in international waters along the transit route to the Philippines, where participants will take part in the ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise^[3] subsequently. During the shore phase, personnel will participate in professional exchanges in Visit, Board, Search and Seizure, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. During the sea phase, RSS Supreme and other participating ships will conduct various serials, including helicopter cross-deck landings, as well as maritime security, communication, and manoeuvring exercises. As part of the maritime security exercise, the participating ships will track the movement of simulated vessels of interest, cued by alerts from the ASEAN International Liaison Officers attached to the RSN's Information Fusion Centre (IFC). This will be facilitated by the IFC's Real-Time Information Sharing System (IRIS), a web-based system designed for rapid maritime security collaboration. The exercise will also practise the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a confidence-building measure to promote trust and reduce the likelihood of accidents or miscalculations in the maritime domain. The exercise will conclude with a sailpast of all participating ships at sea.

Co-Exercise Directors for the exercise, RSN Commander First Flotilla Colonel (COL) Ng Kok Yeng Daniel and IN Fleet Operations Officer Commodore (CDRE) Prakash Gopalan officiated the opening ceremony at Changi Naval Base today. Speaking at the ceremony, COL Ng said, "As we embark on the AIME, I am confident that everyone will work together in the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect. Let us learn from each other's experiences, share knowledge and skills, and work towards making this exercise a resounding success." CDRE Gopalan added that, "I am confident that our interactions will promote a shared understanding of the maritime issues facing us."

Singapore is co-hosting the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise in its capacity as the country coordinator for ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations from 2021 to 2024. This exercise allows navies of ASEAN Member States and India to strengthen collaboration, enhance understanding, and build confidence to address common maritime security challenges at sea.

[1]Participating ships are from Singapore, India, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

[2]Participating aircraft are from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

[3]The ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise is an ASEAN maritime exercise hosted by ASEAN Member States on a voluntary basis. The Philippines is hosting the 2023 edition.

Senior commanders and representatives from ASEAN and India at the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise

AIME participants at the planning conference.

Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and participating ships sailed in formation during the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.

RSS Supreme took part in a sailpast – signalling the end of a successful sea phase.