Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar interacts with INS Delhi and INS Satpura crew in Singapore

He met with the crew of INS Delhi & INS Satpura at Changi Naval Base. He was received by Rear Adm Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Easter Fleet.

Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy who is on a three-day official visit to Singapore, on Friday interacted with INS Delhi and INS Satpura crew-members. He met with the crew of INS Delhi & INS Satpura at Changi Naval Base. He was received by Rear Adm Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Easter Fleet.

Kumar interacted with the crew of the two ships and wished them successful participation in the Sea Phase of the inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME). He urged all personnel to utilise the opportunity provided by AIME to refine procedures, learn best practices and enhance interoperability with the ASEAN navies.

He also highlighted the importance of such exercises in realising our vision of SAGAR. During the visit the CNS co-officiated the inaugural ceremony of the maiden ASEAN - India Maritime Exercise (AIME) 2023, on Tuesday.

The harbour phase of the exercise was held at Changi Naval Base from May 2 to 4, 2023 and the Sea Phase will be conducted from May 7-8, 2023 in the South China Sea. In addition to representing India and the Indian Navy during the AIME 2023, Admiral R Hari Kumar will also be attending the opening ceremony of the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX-23) and 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.

The AIME-23 is aimed at promoting maritime cooperation and enhancing trust, friendship and confidence amongst ASEAN and Indian Navies, read an Indian Navy press release. The Sea Phase scheduled from 07 to 08 May 2023 in the South China Sea will provide an opportunity for the participating navies to develop closer links in the coordination and execution of operations in the maritime domain.

India's first indigenously-built destroyer, INS Delhi and INS Satpura, an indigenously-built guided missile stealth frigate alongwith a P8I Maritime Patrol aircraft participated in the Inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise and IMDEX. The participating ships form a part of Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and operate under the command of RAdm Gurcharan Singh, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. The presence of the indigenously built ships of the Indian Navy at the multi-national events will be an opportunity to showcase the ship-building capabilities of Indian Shipyards.

ASEAN is at the core of India's Indo-Pacific Policy as was enunciated by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi in his speech at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore in 2018. AIME reinforces this belief and India's commitment to 'Act East' in its endeavour to ensure 'Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR). The visit of the CNS further consolidates the high level of bilateral defence engagements with Singapore as well as India's recognition of 'ASEAN Centrality' to the region. (ANI)

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