Multilateral Naval Exercise Milan From Today
Defense minister Rajnath Singh to be chief guest
Visakhapatnam: The multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026 will be formally inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Samudrika Auditorium at Naval Base, Visakhapatnam, on Thursday.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi would be present.
The MILAN Village was opened on February 15 by the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla.
The harbour phase of MILAN 2026 commenced on Wednesday. Later in the evening, cultural programmes and a dinner were organised for the delegates.
On Thursday, a two-day international maritime seminar would begin before the formal inauguration of the exercises.
The sea phase of the exercises would begin on February 21 and close on February 25.
Exercise MILAN’s sea and harbour phases would focus on interoperability, maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, air defense, and search-and-rescue operations.
It is aimed at bringing together navies from friendly foreign countries to strengthen professional bonds, share best practices and enhance cooperation at sea.
The exercise would focus on large-scale multilateral operations, providing invaluable experience in operating together as a cohesive maritime force.
MILAN, initiated by the Indian Navy in 1995, is a biennial multilateral naval exercise that began with four regional nations –Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It began with the `Look East Policy’ but later grew into Act East and Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR). The four- nation exercise began at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The focus shifted from basic interoperability to complex, high-end warfare exercises, including anti-submarine and anti-air operations, in line with India's growing maritime influence.
Traditionally held in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the event moved to Visakhapatnam in 2020 due to its superior, more expansive naval infrastructure. Around 42 nations participated in 2022 while the current edition has involvement of 70 countries.