Port Blair, Aug 7: India and Singapore have had strong bilateral cooperation in the domain of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, since 2019 when a ‘Letter of Intent’ on Cooperation was signed by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri during the Fourth India-Singapore Defence Ministers Dialogue (DMD). Subsequently in Jan 21, the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri accorded ‘In Principle Approval’ for establishing the scope of Geospatial Information Sharing within the domain of HADR operations.

A Table Top Exercise (TTX) was therefore conducted on 03-04 Aug 22 by

HQ ANC under the aegis of HQ IDS with Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (Changi RHCC) of Singapore. Two teams each from HQ ANC with representatives from multiple stakeholders (HQ IDS/ IFC-IOR/ Indian Navy) and Changi RHCC, Singapore participated in the exercise through Video Conferencing.

The exercise focused on developing a common Model for Geospatial data exchange and real time communication arrangements for generating a Common Operation picture (COP) during collaborative HADR operations.

The exercise served to strengthen the Hon’ble Prime Minister‘s vision of Security and Growth for All in Region (SAGAR) which envisions strengthening relationship with partner littoral nations in the Indian Ocean Region. Informative discussions and in-depth deliberations during the TTX have provided the required solutions towards proactively preparing both nations with tools for developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), streamlining interoperability of data and collaborating during any disaster relief operations in IOR littoral states.