India has scaled up its engagement in the naval domain in the Indian Ocean region response to the threat perception that has heightened in recent months in a multi-prolonged ways. First Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to Maldives on a three-day visit, the first in 11 years, to discuss maritime issues with his counterpart Mariya Didi. The visit was in tune with India’s commitment to capacity building of friendly countries and partners in the region. Singh gifted one Fast Patrol Vessel ship and a Landing Craft to the Maldives National Defence Forces. Both India and Maldives are working together to address shared challenges, including maritime security, terrorism, radicalisation, piracy, trafficking, organised crimes and natural disasters.
This was followed by Air Force Chief Air Marshal V. R. Chaudhari embarking on four-day visit to Sri Lanka. Further, in a boost to expand India-ASEAN military cooperation, the maiden ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) began on 2 May with war games in South China Sea. Navy Chief Adm R. Hari Kumar was in Singapore for the exercise and also to take part in the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX-23) and International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC) hosted by Singapore.
The inaugural AIME-23 was scheduled from 2 to 8 May. This provided an opportunity for Indian Navy and ASEAN navies to work together closely and conduct seamless operations in the maritime domain. While the Harbour Phase of the exercise was held at Changi Naval Base from 2-4 May, the ‘Sea Phase’ of the exercise took place at South China Sea from 7 to 8 May.
The inaugural edition of the naval and maritime defence event IMDEX was held in 1997 and has since been expanding every year. Established in 2009, the IMSC was co-organised by Singapore Navy and Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). The conference brings togethe ..
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