http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=44236

India to Singapore: you can hold military exercises on our soil

City state gets Delhi invite since it has no space for firepower training

BHAVNA VIJ-AURORA

NEW DELHI, APRIL 1: It’s a privilege that India has never extended. Not even to its closest neighbours. Come October, fighter arcraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force will be allowed to conduct exercises over Indian airspace while its army has also been given permission to train on Indian soil.

The unusual arrangement was finalised last week when India’s Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad met his Singapore counterpart Peter Ho.

Apart from signalling the growing closeness between the two countries, the decision to allow a foreign country to use Indian airspace and land was intended to address a unique problem facing the city state.

According to Defence Mnistry sources, Singapore told New Delhi that it did not have enough space to carry out training exercises for its small but highly-sophisticated army and air force. Singapore has a total area of just 647.5 square kilometres.

‘‘So they asked India if they could conduct their training exercises here. They have been allowed. The first exercises — for Singapore air force — will be in October,’’ disclosed a senior Defence official. The two sides have also agreed to conduct joint exercises of air force, army and navy.

Diplomatic sources told The Indian Express that a fleet of five fighter aircraft from Singapore might be allowed to train in Gwalior while its armed forces would be allowed to fire live field ammuniton in Pokhran.

Singapore has been on the lookout for new training partners. On account of occasionally prickly relations, it is nervous about holding joint exercises with its Singapore has no space for war games

neighbour Malaysia and it also does not want to depend too much on Taiwan to avoid hurting the sensitivities of the Chinese.

The partnership with India has been growing on other fronts, too. A major economic accord is in the works as Singapore has offered to serve as a bridge between India and China.

Also, alarmed by the threat of the extremist outfit Jemaah Islamiyah in its neighbourhood, the city-state wants to draw on India’s long experience in fighting terrorism.

The Indian Express has also learnt that the navies of the two countries have decided to work together to exchange information on gun-running, piracy and narco-trafficking in real time.