Milan Sea Phase To Begin in Bay off Vizag on Saturday

Visakhapatnam: The five-day sea phase of MILAN 2026 will commence on Saturday in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam, marking the operational core of the Indian Navy’s flagship multilateral exercise involving friendly foreign navies.

The sea phase will feature maritime operations, formation manoeuvres and a range of naval warfare exercises aimed at strengthening interoperability among participating navies. Key activities include surface firings, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare drills, cross-deck helicopter operations and aircraft carrier operations.

Scheduled from February 19 to 25, the 13th edition of MILAN focuses on large-scale multilateral maritime operations and provides participating forces with experience in operating together as a cohesive force. The exercise is being conducted under the theme of camaraderie, cooperation and collaboration, with the objective of enhancing professional bonds and maritime cooperation.

The first ten editions of MILAN were hosted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. With the increasing scale and complexity of the exercise, it has been hosted in Visakhapatnam under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command for the past two editions. Earlier editions were primarily engagement-focused, involving junior officers and sailors from a limited number of participating nations.

In 2022, the Indian Navy decided to shift the exercise from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Visakhapatnam. Of the 137 nations invited for MILAN 2026, 71 are participating, with 23 foreign warships and two aircraft taking part. The exercise underscores the Indian Navy’s role as a preferred security partner in the region.

The opening ceremony of MILAN was held on Thursday, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attending as the chief guest.