India, Singapore to kick off naval drills in Andaman Sea today

India and Singapore will kick off naval drills within the Andaman Sea on Monday, with the concentrate on enhancing mutual inter-operability and studying the very best practices from one another, an Indian Navy spokesperson stated on Sunday. The 27th version of the India-Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise (SIMBEX-20) shall be held from November 23 to 25.

The drills come on the heels of the Malabar train involving the Quad navies and a trilateral train carried out by India, Singapore and Thailand.

“The scope and complexity of these exercises has increased steadily over the past two decades to include advanced naval drills covering a wide spectrum of maritime operations,” navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal stated. The SIMBEX annual train was first held in 1994.

Indian Navy belongings participating within the drills embrace destroyer INS Rana, corvettes INS Kamorta and INS Karmuk, submarine INS Sindhuraj and the P-8I maritime reconnaissance plane. Singapore shall be represented by frigates Intrepid and Steadfast with integral S70B helicopters and touchdown ship tank Endeavour. The drills are being carried out as a non-contact, at sea solely train in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

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“SIMBEX-20 will witness the two friendly navies participate in advanced surface, anti-air warfare and anti-submarine warfare exercises including weapon firings over three days of intensive joint operations at sea,” Madhwal stated, including that the drills additionally spotlight the dedication of the 2 navies to a rules-based worldwide order.

The Indian Navy has carried out a sequence of workouts with pleasant navies within the Indian Ocean Region in latest weeks. India, Singapore and Thailand on Sunday wrapped up the 2nd version of a trilateral naval train within the Andaman Sea.

“Besides improving inter-operability between the friendly navies, the India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) series of exercises also aim to strengthen mutual confidence and develop common understanding and procedures towards enhancing the overall maritime security in the region,” Madhwal stated.

The navies of India, United States, Japan and Australia concluded the Malabar train within the northern Arabian Sea on November 20. The drills had been carried out at a time when China is intently monitoring the actions of the Quad nations and in search of to extend its footprint within the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Malabar naval drills had been carried out in two phases: the primary section within the Bay of Bengal from November three to six; the second section was held within the Arabian Sea from November 17 to 20.