On Saturday, India, Thailand, and Singapore conducted the second edition of the two-day trilateral maritime exercise SITMEX-20 at the Andaman Sea. For the exercises held on November 21 and 22, the Indian Navy deployed “Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette INS Kamorta missile corvette INS Karmuk.” Similarly, the Singapore Navy was represented by the “‘Formidable’ Class frigate ‘Intrepid’ and ‘Endurance’ Class Landing Ship Tank ‘Endeavour.’” Further, the ‘Chao Phraya’ Class frigate ‘HTMS Kraburi’ was deployed by the Royal Thai Navy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the establishment of this trilateral exercise during the June 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue. This trilateral exercise’s first edition was held in September 2019. The forum has been set up to improve the coordination between the three countries’ navies and to bolster mutual trust and formulate a common approach towards furthering maritime security.
The Indian Navy released a statement saying, “The exercise, being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of COVID-19 pandemic, highlights growing synergy, coordination and cooperation in the maritime domain between the three friendly navies and maritime neighbours.” During the two-day exercise, the three navies participated in a “war-at-sea exercise, naval manoeuvres, weapon firing on the surface and aerial targets, seamanship evolutions, and coordinated navigation operations.”
Right after the conclusion of SITMEX-20, India, and Singapore also conducted the 27th edition of SIMBEX-20, which is a bilateral naval exercise conducted by India and Singapore. For this exercise, in addition to INS Kamorta and INS Karmuk, the Indian Navy also deployed the destroyer INS Rana and its helicopter Chetak. Further, submarine INS Sindhuraj and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft will also represent the Indian Navy.
Recently, in what was considered a major victory for China’s ambition to extend its economic influence across the globe, fifteen countries from the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Thailand, signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal. Meanwhile, India decided to opt-out of the deal citing the poor quality of Chinese imports as a reason for its decision. Apart from several East Asian countries, two of India’s allies from the Quad, that is Australia and Japan, also signed this monumental trade pact. This was seen as a significant setback for India’s ambitions to work with its allies in the East and in the Asia-Pacific to counter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. However, the two exercises conducted over the past few days reassures Singapore and Thailand’s commitment to cooperate with India in its bid to reinforce a rules-based order in the region.
India Begins Trilateral Naval Exercise With Singapore and Thailand
The forum has been set up to improve the coordination between the three countries’ navies and to bolster mutual trust and formulate a common approach towards furthering maritime security.
November 23, 2020
SOURCE: ANI