At the 13th Singapore-India Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD), Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Defence Mr Chan Yeng Kit and India’s Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar expressed their commitment to enhance defence cooperation.
This will be accomplished through increased high-level exchanges and operational collaboration between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Indian Armed Forces.
Held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on the afternoon of October 1, the DPD was co-chaired by both Chan and Dr Kumar.
Both parties also exchanged views on international security issues of mutual interest. These include developments in the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean region, and the progress of regional security cooperation under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
Dr Kumar, who is in Singapore for his introductory visit from September 30 to October 1, also called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at MINDEF earlier this morning.
On 30 September 2019, Dr Kumar visited Changi Naval Base, where he boarded the Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious which had participated in the inaugural Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise in the Andaman Sea earlier this month. He also visited the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s 143 Squadron, which had previously participated in Joint Military Training with the Indian Air Force.
The Singapore-India DPD was established under the revised Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2015. It serves as a regular forum for both countries to discuss mutual defence cooperation, as well as exchange views on strategic issues and geopolitical developments.