A 19-ship exercise organized by the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus concluded in Singapore on May 13.
Co-organised by Singapore and the Republic of Korea under their co-chairmanship of the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security, the “Maritime Security Field Training Exercise” kicked off April 30 in Busan, Republic of Korea.
During the exercise, participating navies conducted maritime security drills such as boarding operations and protection of key installations. They also practiced the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and conducted information-sharing to track vessels-of-interest.
Participants also conducted helicopter cross-deck landings and replenishment at sea drills as they sailed, building confidence and practical cooperation. Upon reaching the waters off eastern Singapore, boarding teams from the Brunei, India, ROK and Singapore navies simulated a search on a vessel-of-interest.
This is the fourth Maritime Security Field Training Exercise conducted under the ambit of the ADMM-Plus and will close tomorrow at RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base. The closing ceremony will be officiated by Singapore’s Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong, and attended by exercise co-directors RADM Edwin Leong and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) Director Maritime Operations Center RADM Hwang Sun Woo.
The ADMM-Plus comprises the ten ASEAN countries as well as Australia, China, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.
Some of the exercise participants, including US Navy destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) are scheduled to participate in the International Maritime Defense Exposition (IMDEX) in Singapore May 14-16.