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Singapore, Indonesia to co-host exercise for 16 navies

Xinhua, August 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Singapore Navy and Indonesia Navy will co-host a multi-lateral exercise with more than 800 personnel, 13 ships and five underwater vehicle teams from 16 countries from Aug. 25 to 31, the Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.

The 6th Western Pacific Mine Countermeasure Exercise (WP MCMEX) includes professional exchanges, and will culminate in a five-day mine-hunting and mine-sweeping sea phase in the Singapore Strait and the waters off the Indonesian island of Pulau Bintan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Singapore's Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Lai Chung Han highlighted the importance of multilateral cooperation in maintaining the freedom of navigation in the sea lines of communication, and the need to remain vigilant and ready to respond to a myriad of threats.

"As navies, we not only need to be on top of today's challenges - and we have many - we also need to be in time for the future ... the activities carried out in the 6th WP MCMEX will build capacity and strengthen interoperability between exercise participants," the navy chief said.

Beyond delivering professional benefits, multilateral exercises are useful platforms for forging friendships and strengthening mutual understanding, he added. Endi