AMR-June-July-2013

REGIONAL NEWS
A N D D E V E L O P M E N T S
s o u t h e a s t a s i a
SHANGRI-LA
DIALOGUE
The 12th International
Institute for Strategic Studies
(IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue Asia
Security Summit was held in
Singapore from 31st May to
2nd June.
The annual inter-governmental
security forum, initiated
in 2002, gathers key policymakers
in the defence and
security establishments from
regional states and from major
powers with significant stakes
in Asia-Pacific security.
Nguyen Tan Dung,
Prime Minister of Vietnam,
opened Asia’s largest informal
defence gathering with a
Keynote Address in which he
called on the countries of
the region to 'build strategic
BILATERAL
COOPERATION
Singapore will continue
using military facilities in India
for the exercise and training of
its troops for another five years,
as stated in an agreement
signed in Singapore on 4th June
by new Indian Defence
Secretary Radha Krishna
Mathur, and Singaporean
Permanent Secretary of
Defense, Chiang Chie Foo.
India and Singapore had first
signed a five-year defence cooperation
pact in 2007 allowing
Singaporean troops to exercise
regularly on Indian territory.
This agreement will now be is
trust' to overcome disputes.
The summit brought together
defence ministers, military chiefs
and senior government officials
from 31 countries as well as
experts and journalists from
around the world with discussions
focusing on issues such as
“Defending National Interests;
Preventing Conflict”, “Military
Modernisation and Strategic
Transparency”, “New Trends in
Asia-Pacific Security” and
“Advancing Defence
Cooperation In The Asia-
Pacific”. However, maritime disputes
and the risks of conflicts
that could hurt Asia’s economic
growth were a running theme
during the three-day conference.
During the summit, Lt. Gen.
Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the
general staff of the Chinese
People’s Liberation Army
announced that China would
continue to consider its patrols
in Asian seas as legitimate.
Adding that Chinese warships
would continue to patrol
waters where Beijing has
territorial claims, regardless of
growing rows with neighbouring
countries over the
South China Sea and islands
controlled by Japan.
China is locked in a territorial
dispute with Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines and
Vietnam in the South China Sea
and affirms that it has sovereign
rights to nearly all of the
sea, including areas much closer
to other countries, and thousands
of kilometres from the
Chinese coast. The four countries
dispute the Chinese claims
over several Pacific islands,
much as Japan refuses China’s
claim over the Senkaku islands
in the East China Sea, which
Beijing calls the Diaoyus.
China’s peaceful intentions
have come under growing scepticism
in the region, as they are
inconsistent with moves to send
naval patrols to waters claimed
by other countries such as
China’s occupation of a shoal
near the Philippines’ main
island last year and the deployment
in March of naval ships to
within 80 kilometres (50 miles)
of Malaysia’s coast.
extended up to October 2017.
Singapore is the only country
that India has offered its facilities
to for training and exercises.
As the world’s fourth leading
financial centre with one of
the busiest ports, Singapore has
a strategic importance for India
in its efforts to contain the
growing influence of China.
SINGAPORE AND
AUSTRALIAN
SUBMARINE RESCUE
ARRANGEMENT
Singapore Navy (RSN)
Chief Rear-Admiral Ng Chee
Peng has signed the Submarine
Rescue Arrangement with
Royal Australian Navy
(RAN)’s Chief of Navy
Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs on
board the RSN’s submarine
rescue and support vessel,
MV Swift Rescue.
The Submarine Rescue
Arrangement establishes a
framework between the RSN
and RAN in the area of submarine
rescue support and cooperation.
Under the arrangement,
the RSN will make
available to the RAN MV Swift
Rescue and other resources to
render support and assistance
in the event of an RAN
submarine incident.
SAGEM WINS MAJOR
CONTRACT FROM
SINGAPORE NAVY
Sagem has signed a contract
with the Singapore’s
Defence Science and
Technology Agency to develop
and produce a new Gun Fire-
Control System (GFCS) for
eight Littoral Mission Vessels
ordered by Singapore Navy.
Sagem’s new GFCS is a centralized
system located at the
ship’s operations center that
integrates several functions:
main and secondary guns,
radar, optronics and navigation
systems. Capable of operating
from several multifunction
consoles concurrently,
Sagem’s GFCS will also be
interfaced with the combat
management system.
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