1.       Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army General Joginder Jaswant Singh called on Acting Minister for Defence and Minister for Manpower Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence this morning, as part of General Singh’s introductory visit to Singapore from 15 to 18 March 2006. General Singh also called on Permanent Secretary (Defence) Mr Chiang Chie Foo, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung and Chief of Army Major-General Desmond Kuek. General Singh also visited the SAF Centre for Military Experimentation, and will be visiting the Basic Military Training Centre and Headquarters Singapore Artillery.

2.          General Singh’s visit underscores the warm and growing defence relations between India and Singapore. There are regular interactions between the Indian Armed Forces and the Singapore Armed Forces. The two armies are currently conducting bilateral armour and artillery exercises in India from 4 February to 7 April 2006. The artillery exercise is being conducted about 200km northeast of Mumbai at Devlali Field Firing Range, while the armour exercise is being held at Babina Field Firing Range, about 400km southeast of New Delhi. These exercises provide the Singapore Army with a valuable opportunity to train alongside the Indian Army, and enhance mutual understanding and inter-operability between the two armies. The two armies also interact regularly through exchanges of visits, cross-attendance of courses and seminars, and other professional exchanges.

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