INDIA: The ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023), which began in South China on May 2, in which nearly nine ships from different countries participated, culminated on May 8, Monday.
The exercise was co-hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Indian Navy (IN). It involved nine ships, six aircraft, and over 1,800 personnel from ASEAN member states and India.
The RSN participated with its Formidable-class frigate “RSS Supreme”. Other ships included the naval ships from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Harbour Phase was held at Changi Naval Base from May 2 to May 4, and the Sea Phase was conducted from May 7 to May 8.
During the harbour phase, personnel participated in professional exchanges in visits, board, search and seizure, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief operations, an official statement read.
During the sea phase, “RSS Supreme” and other ships conducted serials, including helicopter cross-deck landings, communication, manoeuvre exercises, and other maritime operations.
It was in international waters along the transit route to the Philippines that participants took part in the ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise.
Apart from honing skills in the maritime domain, the exercise enhanced interoperability and demonstrated the ability of the Indian and ASEAN navies to operate as an integrated force to promote peace, stability, and security in the region.
The participating ships tracked the movement of simulated vessels of interest, cued by alerts from the ASEAN International Liaison Officers attached to the RSN’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC).
The IFC’s Real-Time Information Sharing System (IRIS), a web-based system designed for rapid maritime security collaboration, felicitated this.
The exercise also practised the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a confidence-building measure to promote trust and reduce the likelihood of accidents or miscalculations in the maritime domain.
Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, represented the Indian Navy. India’s indigenously designed and built ships, the destroyer INS Delhi and stealth frigate INS Satpura, participated in the exercise.
The ships, during their port call in Singapore, participated in the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX-23) and International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC), both hosted by Singapore. Besides, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and integral helicopters exercised with ASEAN naval ships.
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