Amidst tense Ukraine standoff, US & Russia to take part in India’s largest naval exercise (!!!)
Rajat Pandit / TNN / Feb 11, 2022, 21:54 IST
NEW DELHI: India is getting set to kick off its largest-ever multi-nation naval exercise later this month, which will witness participation from both the US and Russia amidst escalating tensions between them over Ukraine,
The ‘Milan’ exercise, to be conducted off Visakhapatnam from February 25 to March 4, will see top naval delegations from around 40 of the over 45 countries invited, ranging from the US, Australia, UK, Japan, South Korea, France and Israel to Russia, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman. At least 14-15 of these countries have already confirmed they will also be sending warships or aircraft for the exercise, sources said on Friday.
While the US will be deploying USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, Russia is yet to confirm whether it will also be sending a warship. US secretary of state Antony Blinken incidentally, on Friday warned that Russia could invade Ukraine “any time”, amassing as it is more soldiers on the border.
India has struck a fine strategic balance between the US and Russia for decades, but there are deepening concerns over the tightening clinch between Moscow and Beijing over the last few years. Moreover, Pakistan PM Imran Khan is also slated to visit Russia — the first by a Pakistani premier in over two decades — to meet President Vladimir Putin towards this month-end.
“There is no geopolitics involved in the Milan exercise, which has the theme `Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration’ to promote collective responsibilities of maritime security for ensuring safe and secure seas,” a source said.
“Milan and the President’s Fleet Review (PFR), which will also be held at Vizag on February 21, are two mega events being organized by the Navy to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence,” he added.
As many as 63 Indian warships, three submarines and 57 aircraft will take part in the PFR, which is held once during a President’s tenure and is second only to the Republic Day parade in terms of significance.
But all eyes will be on the Milan exercise. Apart from operational interactions and seminars, parades and military demonstrations during the ‘harbour phase’, the `sea phase’ from March 1 to 4 will see intense combat manoeuvres, with a special focus on anti-submarine warfare and weapon firings.
Milan is being held at Visakhapatnam for the first time, instead of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands since 1995, because the Navy wanted to accommodate “a much larger number of warships, including destroyers and frigates”, this time. “The scale and complexity of Milan has evolved from basic naval exercises to complex multi-warship exercises in recent editions,” the source said.
While the US will be deploying USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, Russia is yet to confirm whether it will also be sending a warship. US secretary of state Antony Blinken incidentally, on Friday warned that Russia could invade Ukraine “any time”, amassing as it is more soldiers on the border.
India has struck a fine strategic balance between the US and Russia for decades, but there are deepening concerns over the tightening clinch between Moscow and Beijing over the last few years. Moreover, Pakistan PM Imran Khan is also slated to visit Russia — the first by a Pakistani premier in over two decades — to meet President Vladimir Putin towards this month-end.
“There is no geopolitics involved in the Milan exercise, which has the theme `Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration’ to promote collective responsibilities of maritime security for ensuring safe and secure seas,” a source said.
“Milan and the President’s Fleet Review (PFR), which will also be held at Vizag on February 21, are two mega events being organized by the Navy to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence,” he added.
As many as 63 Indian warships, three submarines and 57 aircraft will take part in the PFR, which is held once during a President’s tenure and is second only to the Republic Day parade in terms of significance.
But all eyes will be on the Milan exercise. Apart from operational interactions and seminars, parades and military demonstrations during the ‘harbour phase’, the `sea phase’ from March 1 to 4 will see intense combat manoeuvres, with a special focus on anti-submarine warfare and weapon firings.
Milan is being held at Visakhapatnam for the first time, instead of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands since 1995, because the Navy wanted to accommodate “a much larger number of warships, including destroyers and frigates”, this time. “The scale and complexity of Milan has evolved from basic naval exercises to complex multi-warship exercises in recent editions,” the source said.
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