S'PORE HOSTS BIG PSI EXERCISE

Singapore is hosting more than 2000 personnel from the military, coast guard, customs and other agencies of 13 countries in Exercise Deep Sabre, the first Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) exercise to be held in South-east Asia.

Exercise Deep Sabre will involve 10 surface vessels and six maritime patrol aircraft.

The 13 PSI countries participating are: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Launched in May 2003, the PSI is a multilateral initiative to address the growing challenges posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems and related materials.

Speaking at the opening of Exercise Deep Sabre, Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean, highlighted the increasing threat of WMD, brought about by the rise of extremist terrorism and globalisation in an interconnected world, and described the threat as "more immediate and more acute than it has ever been."

Mr Teo also highlighted Singapore's sensitivity to the dangers of proliferation.

"Given our size and vulnerability, this is why counter-proliferation is one of our core security priorities," he said.

In addition to multi-lateral exercises like Exercise Deep Sabre, Singapore has taken many counter-proliferation measures like adopting an enhanced national export control regime.

Taking centre stage in the PSI exercise is the 'Realistic Scenario-Driven Exercise at Sea', where participating vessels will conduct a multinational interdiction of a merchant ship carrying an illegal shipment of dual-use chemicals.

The second phase of the exercise will involve the merchant ship being diverted to Singapore for a port search by civilian enforcement agencies.

The exercise will be supported by a Combined Co-ordination Centre (CCC) and the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) ACCESS system, which utilises sophisticated communication networking to allow accurate real-time dissemination of information.

Such exercises are held regularly to enhance the ability of PSI countries to work together in a co-operative and effective manner to prevent the proliferation of WMD and related items.

The hosting of Exercise Deep Sabre underscores Singapore's commitment and firm support for global counter-proliferation efforts.