India Hosts ‘Milan 2024, 51 Countries To Participate In 9 Days Naval Exercise Milan

India is hosting ‘Milan 2024’, a multilateral naval exercise that signifies international maritime cooperation as it provides a platform to India and other countries to work together on common maritime challenges even as “there is no message” against China in this exercise, being participated by naval forces from 51 countries.  Since its inception in 1995, ‘Milan’ has evolved into a premier event showcasing India’s maritime prowess and commitment to global security.  The event will seek to address current maritime challenges, especially attacks by Houthi rebels and Somali pirates in vital waterways like the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea which call for greater collaboration among nations.

As many as 51 countries, 11 heads of maritime agencies, and warships and aircraft from 15 countries will participate in the Indian Navy’s mega multinational exercise MILAN, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti said on February 14.

From the Indian Navy, nearly 20 ships, including aircraft carriers Vikrant and Vikramaditya, and nearly 50 aircraft will participate in the exercise.

Highlights of the Harbour Phase from February 19 to 23 include international city parade, international maritime seminar, maritime tech expo, MILAN village, subject matter expert exchange and tabletop exercise. During the Sea Phase from February 24-27, participating navies will hold advanced air defence, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare drills. Gunnery shoots on aerial and surface targets, manoeuvres and underway replenishment would be conducted.

Vice Admiral Sobti said the international maritime seminar will remain the focus area in which various invited people will share their thoughts on various subjects.  He said it is important to exercise together at sea, learn how to operate with each other in large numbers and large groups, and learn how to communicate with each other at sea.

He said: “The current geopolitical situation and the maritime challenges, including asymmetric threats, will be among the main topics of consideration this year. This will be taken up in discussion as well as in tabletop exercises that we will have with the participating navies.”

India is playing a key role as a reliable security partner and advocate for maritime stability. The Indian Navy’s engagement in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) demonstrates its emergence as a leading force. In 2022, the Navy joined the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces, a US-led multinational naval partnership that aims to promote stability across international waters in the IOR; recently, India decided to become a full member of the grouping. India has also provided capacity-building assistance, platforms and training to countries in the region, thus helping them enhance their maritime capabilities. Gifting naval assets such as offshore patrol vessels and fast-attack craft to nations like Mauritius, the Seychelles and Sri Lanka underlines India’s contribution to collaborative maritime governance. Notably, the hydrological surveys and joint Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance that India is carrying out in the ocean reflect its environmental stewardship.

‘Milan’ also serves as a platform for fostering trust and enhancing interoperability in naval activities among the participants. By promoting a rules-based maritime order, India is striving to ensure security on the high seas, vital for global stability and prosperity.

Highlighting the main features of the upcoming exercise, he said the current geopolitical situation and the maritime challenges arising out of these will also be discussed during the event.

“Milan 2024 is a major endeavour by the Indian Navy to get together friendly foreign countries from across the globe to partner with us for maritime activity. This year in 2024, we are having Milan in Visakhapatnam, and 51 countries are participating in the event. And of these 51 countries, 15 countries are sending ships and one aircraft is also joining for the exercise,” Vice Admiral Sobti told reporters. 

It has a series of events, including an international maritime exposition, a maritime technical exhibition, a city parade is planned, and also junior officers’ interaction, he added.  Vice Admiral Sobti said all this is part of its harbour phase, which will be from February 19 to 23.

“After that we will be doing the exercises at sea, which will be from February 24-27, in which we will have Indian naval ships and aircraft as well as ships from friendly foreign countries participating in ‘Milan’,” he added.

Navies from the US, Japan, Australia, France, Bangladesh, Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, Iran and Myanmar are set to be among the participating nations.

Canada, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Spain and Yemen, besides others, are among the countries which will be part of the exercise for the first time, according to a curtain-raiser presentation shared before the press interaction on February 14.

Asked if there is any message to China in this mega exercise, Vice Admiral Sobti said, “There are 51 countries participating (in it) and among these 51 countries, each country has its own relationship with China. I want to make it clear that there is no message here against China.”

“Our message is that our challenges at sea, these we can face, if we work together. And, so we want to give this platform to the countries so that they come, discuss how to participate and the challenges, and do sea exercise,” he added.

Vice Admiral Sobti said what relation any of these 51 countries have with a second or third country is not intended to be brought up at this event.  The tagline of the exercise is ‘Camaraderie Cohesion Collaboration’.

Asked what will be the focus areas at this event, Vice Admiral Sobti said the particular focus area will remain the international maritime seminar in which various invited people will contribute their thoughts on various subjects. So that is one big event where the vice president will be presiding over, he added.

Besides the international maritime seminar during which maritime threats and maritime challenges will be discussed, a lot of interactions will be there for the junior officers.    

 “And, we have sea-going exercises, it is important that we exercise and that we exercise together at sea, learn how to operate with each other in large numbers and large groups, and learn how to communicate with each other at sea. So, these are the basic focus points,” Vice Admiral Sobti said.

‘Milan’ exercise started in 1995 for which the Indian Navy had invited a few countries because it was felt “there has to be a collaboration’ ‘. It started then in Port Blair.

As our ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policies grew, and then the SAGAR initiative came, then this exercise has gradually grown and so it was realised that Port Blair was turning out be a bit inadequate and it was shifted to the mainland and from 2022, it is happening at Visakhapatnam,” he said.  This year’s exercise will be the second such exercise at Visakhapatnam.

 Vice Admiral Sobti said “11 heads of maritime agencies” are participating in ‘Milan’ this year.  The Indian Navy will engage with them through international maritime expositions. Besides there will be bilateral dialogues between the Indian naval chief and the heads of these maritime agencies, he added.

Source: Pioneer & Agencies Reports