India, Singapore hold talks on defence cooperation
India and Singapore on Thursday held wide-ranging discussions on key areas of defence cooperation, security collaboration and avenues to further strengthen the strategic relationship between the two countries.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired with Singapore’s Permanent Secretary (Defence) Joseph Leong the 16th Defence Policy Dialogue which reaffirmed the robust bilateral defence partnership between the two nations. “Wide-ranging discussions were held on key areas of defence cooperation, security collaboration and avenues to further strengthen the strategic relationship between the two countries,” said a post on X by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence.
Singh visited the Digital Operations Technology Centre (DOTC) of the Digital and Intelligence Service of the Singapore Armed Forces, the ministry said.
The visit provided valuable insights into Singapore’s advanced digital and technical capabilities, while exploring avenues for collaboration with the Indian Armed Forces in niche and emerging domains of warfare, the post on X added.
During the meeting, the high-ranking officers reaffirmed the “strong and long-standing” defence relationship between Singapore and India. They also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation between the SAF and Indian Armed Forces (IAF), as well as exchanged views on global and regional security developments. The visit provided valuable insights into Singapore’s advanced digital and technical capabilities, while exploring avenues for collaboration with the Indian Armed Forces in niche and emerging domains of warfare, the post said.
On Saturday, Singh will address the annual three-day Shangri La Dialogue, said the London-based organisers International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS).
Recent conflicts and growing geopolitical tensions have highlighted the importance of defence industrial capacity and security of supply, the challenges of building magazine depth, and the need to reform procurement processes, the IISS said on Thursday.
Forty-four countries, including 54 ministerial-level delegates, will attend the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue that will take place from May 29 to 31 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.
