Former India Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba has been conferred Singapore’s prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) or Meritorious Service Medal (Military) (MSM(M)), by President Halimah Yacob. Admiral Lanba has been conferred the award for his outstanding contributions in enhancing the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy.

• Both navies concluded the Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation in November 2017 and the Implementing Arrangement for Mutual Coordination, Logistics and Services Support in June 2018, which established the framework for greater Navy-to-Navy interactions and expanded collaboration in areas of mutual interest such as submarine rescues, maritime-security information-sharing and logistics support.
• With Lanba’s support, both navies also commemorated the Silver Jubilee of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise in 2018 and successfully conducted the inaugural Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) in September 2019. These professional exchanges have strengthened interoperability and deepened mutual understanding and trust between personnel from both militaries.