India, Singapore explore new avenues to strengthen defence ties during defence secretary's visit

NEW DELHI: Defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and permanent secretary (defence) Joseph Leong of Singapore on Thursday reviewed the progress of ongoing defence engagements and held wide-ranging discussions on key areas of defence cooperation, military engagements, defence industry collaboration, capacity-building and regional security issues.During the 16th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue, both the secretaries also explored new avenues for further strengthening the strategic relationship and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including collaboration between the industries.The two countries also discussed enhancing cooperation in niche and emerging domains such as cyber security, AI, maritime security, unmanned systems, and advanced defence technologies.

The discussions underscored the importance of innovation-driven partnerships and deeper collaboration in emerging areas to address evolving regional and global security challenges, a defence ministry statement said.The two sides appreciated the continued cooperation between India and Singapore in regional and multilateral forums, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led mechanisms and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework. Both countries reiterated their commitment to supporting an open, inclusive, and rule-based regional security architecture, while promoting practical and constructive defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The dialogue highlighted the importance of sustained high-level exchanges and deeper institutional collaboration in advancing the India–Singapore strategic partnership. They reiterated their commitment to further enhancing bilateral defence ties and promoting closer cooperation in the years ahead.The defence secretary also visited the Digital Operations Technology Centre of the Digital and Intelligence Service of Singapore Armed Forces.The visit offered valuable insights into digital and technical capabilities of Singapore Armed Forces towards exploring potential of collaboration with Indian defence forces in niche and emergent domains of warfare.