Joint Naval Exercises

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 17 DEC 2021 2:43PM by PIB Delhi

The MALABAR Exercise is being conducted annually since 1992 with the aim and objective to enhance Indian Navy's interoperability with other participating navies, improve skill-sets and exchange 'best-practices' including lessons learnt. Twenty five editions of the exercise have been conducted till date with last edition conducted in two phases in August and October 2021. Such exercises also provide impetus to better maritime security in the region in consonance with the Government's vision of 'SAGAR-Security and Growth for all in the Region'. As the exercise was a part of regular Indian Navy deployments, therefore, no additional expenditure was involved. INS Ranvijay, INS Satpura and an Indian Navy submarine alongwith crew members participated in the second phase of MALABAR Exercise.

Details of exercises to be undertaken with Friendly Foreign Countries are finalised in consultation with MEA and other stakeholders. These exercises help in development of interoperability with friendly foreign navies in the areas of core naval operations along with providing insights into best practices, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), concepts and technological innovations used by advanced / contemporary navies. Further, these exercises contribute towards showcasing indigenous ship-building capabilities and strengthening of bilateral relations between the countries.

To boost Naval cooperation with Friendly Foreign Countries, Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks and Executive Steering Group Meetings are conducted on annual/ biennial basis, besides joint exercises and joint patrolling, as also training exchanges, hydrography support and measures to enhance maritime domain awareness.

This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri ThirunavukkarasarSu in Lok Sabha today.

Nampi/Savvy

(Release ID: 1782609)