No doubt Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore next week will fire up sections of the Indian diaspora here, but his official engagements will carry even more significance.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two countries will sign a strategic partnership agreement. The focus will most likely be on the economic and people-to-people ties. However, one aspect of the relationship is often overlooked – the remarkable transformation in defence ties.

Ties have grown since the 1990s, following decades of indifference during the Cold War, when the two countries were in different camps.

… The writer is an assistant professor at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and is the editor of The Merlion And The Ashoka: Singapore-India Strategic Ties (World Scientific Press, 2015).