On May 2, 2023, the opening ceremony of the inaugural ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-23) was held at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore which was inaugurated and co-officiated by Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Indian Navy (IN) and Rear Admiral Sean Wat, Chief of Navy (CNV), Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and senior dignitaries from ASEAN.
- Through this exercise the Navies from ASEAN and IN will conduct joint drills.
Hosts:
The inaugural edition of AIME is being co-hosted by the RSN and IN.
Aim of AIME-23:
To promote maritime cooperation and enhancing trust, friendship and confidence amongst ASEAN and Indian Navies
Participants:
Navies of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (ASEAN Nations), and IN
- India is represented by RAdm (Rear Admiral)Â Gurcharan Singh, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) along with indigenous warships INS (Indian Naval Ship)Â Delhi and INS Satpura, and P8I maritime patrol aircraft.
- INS Delhi, India’s first indigenously-built guided missile destroyer and INS Satpura, an indigenously-built guided missile stealth frigate are a part of IN’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
Key Points:
i.The harbour phase of the exercise will be held at the Changi Naval Base from May 2 to May 4, 2023 and the sea phase will be conducted from May 7 to May 8, 2023 in the South China Sea.
ii.The first phase will witness a range of professional and social interactions between the participating navies including cross deck visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) and planning meetings.
iii.The second phase will provide an opportunity to the participating navies to develop closer links in the coordination and execution of operations in the maritime domain.
 iv.CNS Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar along with participating ships from India will also participate in the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX-23) and International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC) being hosted by Singapore.
- CNS will deliver a talk on ‘Cooperation and Collaboration in the Future Maritime Environment’ during a panel discussion at 8th International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC), being conducted on the sidelines of IMDEX – 23.
v.AIME reinforces India’s commitment of ‘Act East’ by ensuring ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR).
Note: In South China Sea, China is known for its aggressive activities that threaten to escalate tensions in the region.
Additional info: The Philippine Navy has deployed its missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) for the inaugural ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.
Recent Related News:
i.Indian Navy Ship (INS) Trikand is participating in the International Maritime Exercise/ Cutlass Express 2023 (IMX/CE-23) being held in the Gulf region from 26 February to 16 March 2023. This marks Indian Navy’s 1st IMX participation and also marks the 2nd occasion in which INS participates in an exercise conducted by Combined Maritime Forces.
ii.FRINJEX-23, The first edition of the Joint Military Exercise between the Indian and French Army was conducted at Pangode Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on March 7-8, 2023.
About Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):
It is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries.
Establishment – It was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by founding members Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Secretary-General– H.E. DR. Kao Kim Hourn
Headquarters– Jakarta, Indonesia
