The recent conclusion of the second rendition of the India, Thailand, and Singapore trilateral Naval exercise SITMEX-20 held in the Andaman Sea has gained significant attention.
Background
During his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2018, India’s Prime Minister announced a plan to conduct a trilateral naval exercise involving India, Singapore, and Thailand. This dialogue, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La, is Asia’s leading defense summit initiated in 2002. The inaugural Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) took place off Port Blair in September 2019 and hosted by the Indian Navy, has been scheduled to take place yearly ever since.
Purpose of SITMEX
The SITMEX exercises are undertaken to improve mutual interoperability and assimilate best practices from participating navies, namely the Indian Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN). The exercises also aim to foster mutual confidence, develop standard understanding and procedures, and eventually boost overall maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. These activities align with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.
SITMEX-20
The 2020 installation of the exercise is being orchestrated by the RSN (Singapore). Participation from the Indian Navy includes the deployment of the indigenous-Anti Submarine Warfare corvette INS Kamorta and missile corvette INS Karmuk.
Other Military Exercises between India and Thailand
The military cooperation between India and Thailand isn’t restricted to navy alone. There are other exercises that include MAITREE conducted by Army, SIAM BHARAT led by the Air Force and the recently organized Indo-Thai CORPAT by the Navy.
Other Military Exercises between India and Singapore
Similarly, India and Singapore also engage in multiple military exercises across various defense branches. These include Bold Kurukshetra conducted by the Army, Joint Military Training led by the Air Force and SIMBEX by the Navy. The 27th iteration of the India-Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20 is scheduled to be hosted by the Indian Navy in the Andaman Sea from November 23rd to 25th, 2020. This exercise has been a yearly event since 1994.
Thus it’s evident that these trilateral and bilateral defense exercises form an integral part of the security framework for India and participating nations. They provide a platform to learn from each other, enhance mutual confidence, and contribute to overall regional security.