New Delhi: Even though three of the 45 countries invited for “Exercise Milan 2022” have expressed their inability to participate till now, with the third wave of the Covid pandemic abating, there is reason to expect that ‘Milan-22’—the 11th edition of the exercise—may see the biggest ever participation of foreign navies in an exercise hosted by the Indian Navy. According to an Indian Navy source, at least 12-14 warships of foreign navies are expected to take part in the nine-day long exercise that begins on February 24 in the Visakhapatnam while the entire array of Indian Navy assets including major platforms will be participating.
“Things have changed for the better now. The groundwork for the exercise was laid when the third phase of Covid was at its peak, but a lot has changed since then with signs that the pandemic is abating. We are very optimistic that most nations will now be better placed to participate,” the source added. The midterm planning for the exercise was done on November 18, 2021, while the final planning was undertaken on January 19, 2022.
The invitees for Milan-2022 include US, Russia, UK, and France among the major naval powers. A huge Indian Navy-hosted maritime exercise in the Indian Ocean is significant in the backdrop of the increased activity of Chinese Navy ships and submarines in the region. From February 11-16, 2021, the Pakistani Navy too had hosted its “Exercise Aman” which had seen the participation, among others of the US, China, Russia, UK, Turkey, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and Sri Lanka.
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While the harbour phase of the biennial “Milan 2022” will take place from February 25-28, the sea phase in India’s eastern seaboard will be held from March 1 to March 4 in the exercise that strives to create a forum for the littoral navies of the region for professional interactions, maritime cooperation and inter-operability. Aptly themed “Camaraderie Cohesion Collaboration”, the sea phase of the “Milan 2022” is aimed at “honing the skills of the operators, maintainers, planners and executors across the full range of skill-sets, responsibilities and authority onboard a warship” and includes seamanship drills, simulation of complex operational scenarios, tactical manoeuvres, etc.
The harbour phase includes discussions and seminars on topical issues “providing an opportunity for operational commanders to exchange ideas on common maritime priorities and challenges being faced, as also identify possible solutions” while providing a platform for young officers “to engage and learn onboard Sail Training Ships at harbour and sea, as also, hone skills on ship handling and damage control simulators”. The mingling among the sailors of the world will also include cultural tours, sport events, the city parade, social interactions and exchanges.
Besides host India, 16 foreign navies had participated in the last edition of the biennial Exercise Milan that was held at Port Blair from March 6-13, 2018. No exercise was held in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. First held in 1995 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with the participation of the navies of Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the profile of the exercise has grown over the years.
