India and Singapore have agreed to deepen defence cooperation, focusing on emerging technologies, defence industry partnerships, and regional security during the 16th Defence Policy Dialogue held in Singapore.

India and Singapore discussed new opportunities to strengthen their strategic defence partnership during the 16th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue held in Singapore on May 28, 2026.

The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and Singapore’s Permanent Secretary (Defence) Mr Joseph Leong. The two leaders reviewed the progress of ongoing defence engagements and exchanged views on defence cooperation, military interactions, defence industry collaboration, capacity building, and regional security developments.

During the meeting, both sides explored ways to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including stronger collaboration between defence industries in the two countries.

The discussions also focused on emerging and niche domains such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, maritime security, unmanned systems, and advanced defence technologies. Officials emphasized the importance of innovation-driven partnerships to address evolving regional and global security challenges.

India and Singapore appreciated their continued cooperation in regional and multilateral platforms, including ASEAN-led mechanisms and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining an open, inclusive, and rule-based security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region.

The dialogue highlighted the value of sustained high-level exchanges and stronger institutional collaboration in advancing the India-Singapore strategic partnership. Both nations reiterated their commitment to further enhancing bilateral defence ties and expanding cooperation in the coming years.

As part of his visit, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh also toured the Digital Operations Technology Centre of the Singapore Armed Forces’ Digital and Intelligence Service. The visit provided insights into Singapore’s digital and technical defence capabilities and opened possibilities for future collaboration with Indian Defence Forces in emerging areas of warfare.

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