US, Russia among over 55 nations to be part of mega navy drill in Feb

“Both the US as well as Russia are participating. They have indicated that they will be sending their ships, and we are also expecting some aircraft, maybe, but it’s still work in progress,” Vice Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan told reporters.

He added that the number of participating countries might go up in the next four months.

This is the first time the Navy is conducting these major maritime events simultaneously, it said in a statement.

Vice Admiral Vatsayan emphasised that India’s message is although Operation Sindoor is still ongoing, there is no pause in our interactions with foreign countries, our ongoing exercises and our plans. “There is no full stop. We are prepared and deployed for Operation Sindoor. For the rest of our plans, we’ll continue with them as well. So that’s a very simple message.”

He added: “We are effectively deployed depending on what our requirements are, threat assessment, and that will continue… we will be ready to take on any eventuality as and when and if it happens.”

However, he said, the Navy is also going to continue with its ongoing efforts towards ensuring that “all our planned activities with respect to global and regional security alignments, our friendship, our events that have been planned, continue to go on hand-in-hand, and we can afford to do that. That’s the message…”

Asked about the presence of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), he said, “We are monitoring each and every Chinese vessel that enters the IOR… as far as the naval ships or the research vessels are concerned. So we are aware of them.”

He said there is a continuous presence of “extra-regional powers” in the IOR. “It has always been that and it’s only increasing. At any given point of time, we have a minimum of 40, but going even beyond 50-odd ships that are operating in the IOR and just to assure all of you, we are monitoring each and every one of them,” he said.

On the Navy’s modernisation, he said that this year the Navy has inducted 10 ships and a submarine, and there are four other ships likely to be delivered before the end of the year.

“And I think next year we’ve got 19 vessels which are likely to be inducted, and most of them should be commissioned by December. And in 2027, about 13 ships are expected to be delivered,” he said.

About the IFR, the Navy said there will be a Presidential Fleet Review at Sea by the President, showcasing indigenous platforms including INS Vikrant (India’s first homegrown aircraft carrier), Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, Nilgiri-class stealth frigates, and Arnala-class anti-submarine warfare corvettes.

The Navy ships would be joined by a diverse congregation of ships from friendly foreign countries, the Indian Coast Guard and the Merchant Marines, it added.

It added that Exercise MILAN’s Sea and Harbour Phases will focus on interoperability, maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, air defence, and search-and-rescue operations.

The IONS Conclave of Chiefs will bring together Naval Chiefs from 25 members, nine observers, and specially invited nations to deliberate on maritime security, HADR, and information sharing.

India’s IFR tradition began in 2001, with the Mumbai edition hosting 20 foreign navies. Exercise MILAN, launched in 1995 with four navies at Port Blair, has evolved into a premier Multilateral Exercise with partner navies across the globe participating in 2024. “India’s forthcoming IONS Chairmanship and the MAHASAGAR vision reinforce its role as a convenor of regional maritime security cooperation,” the Navy said.