India and Singapore held the 16th Defence Policy Dialogue in Singapore on 28 May 2026, with the full readouts and joint statements appearing in Indian and international media on 29 May 2026. The Dialogue was co chaired by Indian Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and Singapore Permanent Secretary for Defence Mr Joseph Leong, providing a high level institutional mechanism to review and steer bilateral defence cooperation that has matured into one of the closest engagements in the Indo Pacific. Both sides reviewed the progress of ongoing defence engagements under the existing Defence Cooperation Agreement, including service to service exercises such as SIMBEX between the two navies, AGNI WARRIOR between the armies, and JOINT MILITARY TRAINING between the air forces, and explored new avenues of cooperation in emerging and niche domains such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, maritime security, unmanned aerial and underwater systems, space situational awareness and advanced defence technologies. They also discussed deeper collaboration between defence industries in the two countries under the Defence Industry Innovation Roadmap, alongside opportunities for co development and co production. Both sides agreed to further enhance cooperation on regional security at multilateral platforms including the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus framework where India is a Co Chair of the Experts Working Group on Maritime Security. Defence Secretary Singh also visited the Digital Operations Technology Centre of the Singapore Armed Forces, gaining insights into Singapore advanced digital and technical capabilities and identifying collaboration opportunities in niche and emerging warfare domains in line with Indias Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives and the SAGAR vision in the Indo Pacific.
India and Singapore Hold 16th Defence Policy Dialogue in Singapore Reported on 29 May 2026 Co Chaired by Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Singapore Permanent Secretary Defence Joseph Leong Reviewing Bilateral Defence Cooperation and Identifying New Areas of Collaboration in Artificial Intelligence Cyber Security Maritime Security Unmanned Systems Advanced Defence Technologies and ASEAN Plus Engagement With a Visit to the Digital Operations Technology Centre
The 16th India Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue held on 28 May 2026 in Singapore reviewed bilateral defence cooperation and identified new areas of collaboration in AI, cyber security, maritime security, unmanned systems and ADMM Plus engagement.
Key facts
- 16th India Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue held in Singapore on 28 May 2026 reported on 29 May 2026
- Co chaired by Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Singapore Permanent Secretary Defence Joseph Leong
- Focus on AI, cyber security, maritime security, unmanned systems and advanced defence technologies
- Both sides reviewed SIMBEX, AGNI WARRIOR and Joint Military Training exercises
- Cooperation under ADMM Plus where India co chairs Experts Working Group on Maritime Security
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Practice MCQ from this story
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Consider the following two statements regarding the 16th India Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue:\n1. The Dialogue was co chaired by the Indian Defence Secretary and the Singapore Permanent Secretary for Defence.\n2. The discussions covered new areas of collaboration including artificial intelligence, cyber security, maritime security and unmanned systems.\nWhich of the statements given above is/are correct?
Both statements are correct. The 16th Defence Policy Dialogue held on 28 May 2026 was co chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong, and the agenda covered AI, cyber security, maritime security, unmanned systems and advanced defence technologies.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Defence
Frequently asked questions
Who co chaired the 16th India Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue?
Indian Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and Singapore Permanent Secretary for Defence Mr Joseph Leong co chaired the Dialogue.
Name the bilateral naval exercise between India and Singapore.
SIMBEX or Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise is the longest running uninterrupted naval exercise of the Indian Navy with any foreign navy.
What is ADMM Plus?
ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Russia for security cooperation.
In which Experts Working Group of ADMM Plus does India serve as Co Chair?
India is a Co Chair of the Experts Working Group on Maritime Security under the ADMM Plus framework.
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