SINGAPORE: More than 1,800 military personnel participated in the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (Aime) for seven days starting yesterday.
It also involved nine ships including the Formidable-class frigate of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) RSS Supreme, and six aircraft from ASEAN member countries and India.
The Ministry of Defense (Mindef) said the exercise, hosted by the RSN and the Indian Navy, included a shore phase at the RSS Naval Base Singapore-Changi and a sea phase held in international waters along the transit route to the Philippines.
The group of ships will then participate in the ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise hosted by the Philippines.
Aime’s shore phase will see naval personnel take part in reconnaissance, boarding, search and seizure, as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations.
RSS Supreme and other participating ships will, during the sea phase exercise, conduct various exercises such as helicopter cross-deck landing, maritime security, communication and maneuver exercises.
As part of the maritime security exercise, participating ships will track simulated ship movements, using alerts from ASEAN International Liaison Officers at the RSN’s Information Fusion Center (IFC).
This will be facilitated by the IFC Real-Time Information Sharing System, a web-based system design for rapid maritime security collaboration.
Codes for Unplanned Collisions at Sea will be practiced during training.
It is a confidence-building measure to promote trust and reduce the likelihood of accidents and miscalculations in the maritime field.
“This exercise allows the navies of ASEAN member countries and India to strengthen cooperation, improve understanding, and build confidence to deal with the common challenges of maritime security at sea,” said Mindef.
Source : Bharian
