This article has been migrated from an earlier version of the site and may display formatting inconsistencies.
Our Chief of Navy Rear Admiral (RADM) Sean Wat attended the 12th edition of Ex MILAN 2024, a multilateral naval exercise held in Visakhapatnam, India. Organised by the Indian Navy, the theme for this year's exercise is 'Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration'.
In his remarks at the International Maritime Seminar 2024, RADM Wat spoke on the topic of "Maritime Connectivity and Digital Technology". He talked about emerging maritime security risks, especially with regard to 'maritime cyber security'. RADM Wat also shared about the efforts that Singapore is making in order to mitigate these risks, such as utilising the strong networks that the Navy's Information Fusion Centre has established. RADM Wat concluded that while digitalisation in the maritime domain holds much potential, there's a need to also carefully consider its attendant security risks.
During the visit, RADM Wat called on the Indian Navy's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (ADM) Hari Kumar. Both leaders reaffirmed the strong and long-standing defence relationship between our navies.
RADM Wat also met with the Indian Navy's Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Eastern Naval Command) Vice-Admiral (VADM) Rajesh Pendharkar. They discussed how the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) has grown in complexity over the years and looked forward to continued cooperation with each other.
Our Master Chief Navy Military Expert 6 (ME6) Richard Goh also took the opportunity during this visit to meet with his counterpart, the Indian Navy's Master Chief Petty Officer Dilbahadur Chhetri, MCERA I.
The team representing the Singapore Navy for Ex MILAN participated in various activities ashore, such as the demonstration of the Deep Sea Rescue Vessel (DSRV) by the Indian Navy.
The team also interacted with their counterparts from 15 other countries at the Subject Matter Expert Exchange. CPT Felicia Kwek from our 6th Flotilla shared about RSN's unmanned systems journey and the milestones that we have achieved thus far with our unmanned surface vessels.
Photos courtesy of MAJ Daryl Teo, CPT Felicia Kwek, CPT Lim Bing Hong, CPT Sri Haran, and the Indian Navy