The maiden exercise will be conducted over a week with various ASEAN countries and will help further strengthen ties.
In furtherance of ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) and India ties, the inaugural ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) is to be held from May 2 to 4, 2024. The week-long drills are to be held in Singapore and conducted in two phases, the Harbor Phase and the Sea Phase.
AIME-2023
The naval ships INS Satpura and INS Delhi will be taking part in this exercise and arrived in Singapore on May 1. INS Satpura is an indigenous guided missile stealth frigate while INS Delhi is India’s first indigenous guided missile destroyer. The ships are a part of the navy’s Eastern Fleet based in Vishakhapatnam.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defense, the exercise will allow the Indian and ASEAN navies to work closely together and conduct seamless operations in the maritime domain. The exercise is to be inaugurated by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar.
With the exercise, India becomes the fourth partner of ASEAN to have conducted a maritime exercise with the forum, after the US, Russia, and China. The ships are also going to take part in IMDEX-23 and the IMSC, also being hosted by Singapore.
IMDEX-23 and IMSC
The International Maritime Defense Exhibition 2024 (IMDEX-23) is an international maritime and naval event where various businesses and countries showcase products and technologies relating to maritime defense.
First organized in 1997, the exhibition attracts global leaders and distinguished defense personnel. Over the course of the event, several seminars and conferences are held. IMDEX is one of the most important maritime events.
The International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC) is a high-level conference that brings together chiefs of navies, government officials, and key players in the maritime industry to discuss threats and problems to the industry and develop frameworks and solutions to these problems. The event is organized by the Republic of Singapore Navy and S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
ASEAN-India ties
ASEAN and India have had a long history of friendly ties. In 2022, ASEAN and India relations completed 30 years. India’s relationship with the international group is a key part of the country’s foreign policy and part of the foundation of India’s Act East policy.
India’s relationship with the forum is based on three main objectives, enhancing connectivity in the broadest sense of the term, strengthening the ASEAN organization, and expanding cooperation in the maritime domain.
India first associated with the bloc as a Sectoral Dialogue partner in 1992 and achieved Dialogue partner status four years later. Over these 3 decades, India and ASEAN have solidified their alliance through various political and economic measures and have celebrated their shared cultural ties.
India has actively taken part in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) since 1996 and is a key member of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting. India’s trade with the bloc reached 98.39 billion USD in February 2022 while cumulative FDI from ASEAN was 117.88 billion USD. An important part of these relations is the East Asia Summit. Established in 2005, the summit is a premier strategic dialogue forum.
The drills are to be held at the Changi Naval Base and the South China sea.
