Singapore is hosting a multilateral exercise to guard against the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the country's Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean officiated at the opening ceremony of Exercise Deep Sabre II at the Changi Command and Control Center Tuesday morning.
Exercise Deep Sabre II, conducted from Oct. 27 to 30, comprises discussions and a table top exercise on Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) related matters, a simulated maritime interdiction of a merchant vessel suspected of carrying illegal Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) related materials, and a port search demonstration where the vessel will be diverted back to shore to be searched by civilian enforcement agencies.
Some 2,000 personnel from 19 PSI countries will be participating in Exercise Deep Sabre II.
In 2005, Singapore hosted Exercise Deep Sabre I, the first PSI exercise in South East Asia,involving 13 PSI countries.