Recently, the world’s gaze was riveted to the 28th edition of the India and Singapore maritime exercise, also known as the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX). This monumental naval event has gained traction globally, owing to its long-lived history and strategic relevance.
About SIMBEX: History and Significance
Inaugurated in 1994, SIMBEX stands as the Indian Navy’s lengthiest unbroken bilateral maritime exercise with a foreign navy. Over the years, it has been recognised for its role in fostering international maritime cooperation and promoting peace. The most recent, the 28th edition of SIMBEX, emerged as a colossal naval wargame performed in the southern fringes of the South China Sea, attesting to the growing congruence of interests between India and Singapore in this strategically vital region.
Defence Cooperation Beyond SIMBEX
The defence collaboration between India and Singapore extends beyond SIMBEX, with each country having representation in each other’s Maritime Information Fusion Centres. Moreover, the two nations have recently penned an agreement focusing on mutual submarine rescue support and coordination, bolstering their military collaboration further. Additionally, Singapore is an active participant in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and the multilateral exercise MILAN, both hosted by the Indian Navy.
Regional Coordination Platforms
In addition to this, Singapore’s membership of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and India’s affiliation with the ADDM+ (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus) provide effective platforms for these countries to synchronize positions on regional issues of mutual concern.
A Glimpse at Other Joint Military Exercises
Apart from SIMBEX, the two nations also engage in other joint military exercises across different armed forces. These include ‘Bold Kurukshetra’ involving the Army, ‘Joint Military Training’ focused on the Air Force, and the trilateral maritime exercise SIMTEX involving Thailand.
Noteworthy Achievements of Singapore
In recent laurels, Singapore has been ranked second in the most potent passport report, as per the ‘Henley Passport Index 2021’. Interestingly, the first United Nations treaty to be named after a city – the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, also referred to as the Singapore Convention on Mediation, recently became effective. Furthermore, in a nod to its vibrant and diverse culture, Singapore’s Hawker Culture was recently inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging its significance in the world’s cultural landscape.
