NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is participating in the two-day trilateral maritime exercise SITMEX-20 in the Andaman Sea alongside the navies of Singapore and Thailand, senior military officials said Sunday. The ships of the Indian navy, including the Kamorta anti-submarine warfare corvette and the Karmuk missile corvette, are participating in the second edition of the trilateral exercise to be carried out on Sunday and Monday, they said.
The two-day maritime drills will witness the participation of the three navies in a variety of exercises, including naval maneuvers, surface warfare drills and gun fire, the officials said.
The SITMEX series of exercises are being conducted to enhance mutual interoperability and assimilate best practices between the Indian Navy, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), they said.
The RSN is being represented by the Formidable Intrepid-class frigate and the Endurance Endeavor-class landing tank and the RTN by the Chao Phraya-class Kraburi-class frigate in the exercise, officials said.
The exercise is being conducted as a ‘no contact, only at sea’ exercise in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the growing synergy, coordination and cooperation in the maritime domain between the three friendly navies and maritime neighbors. they said.
The first edition of SITMEX, organized by the Indian Navy, was held in front of Port Blair in September 2019.
The 2020 edition of the exercise is being organized by the RSN.
SITMEX 2020: India, Singapore and Thailand participate in trilateral exercise in the Andaman Sea
SITMEX 2020
A trilateral naval exercise was launched involving India, Singapore and Thailand in the Andaman Sea. The two-day exercise, SITMEX-2020, is scheduled in a “contactless format, only at sea”, following COVID-19 restrictions.
What does the SITMEX 2020 edition entail?
The main objective of the exercise is to further consolidate interoperability between the three navies and also improve understanding, sharing best practices and procedures for multifaceted maritime operations. This edition of the exercise would involve a war exercise at sea, naval maneuvers, firing of weapons on the surface and air targets, evolutions of nautical and coordinated navigation operations.
Indian warships
The Indian Navy is represented by two indigenous warships: an ASW corvette, INS Kamorta, and a guided missile corvette, INS Karmuk. The force would also include the ships’ comprehensive air assets. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is represented by RSS Intrepid, a formidable-class stealth frigate, and RSS Endeavor, an Endurance-class landing pad dock. The Thai Navy is represented by HTMS Kraburi, a Chao Phraya-class frigate.
A naval exercise in the midst of a pandemic
The exercise despite difficult times posed by the pandemic is a direct testament to India’s longstanding friendship with Singapore and Thailand, with particular emphasis on strong military cooperation in the maritime arena. The exercise is expected to see increased cooperation in the coming years with the participation of advanced platforms in complex exercises spanning the entire spectrum of warfare at sea. At the conclusion of SITMEX, the RSN participating ships will exercise with the Indian Navy as part of SIMBEX 20, in the Bay of Bengal.
Announced by PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his keynote address at Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2018, announced the holding of a trilateral naval exercise between India, Singapore and Thailand. The first edition of the exercise took place off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in September 2019, with the port phase in Port Blair and a maritime phase in the Andaman Sea that spanned five days.
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