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Multi-nation Navy exercise at Andaman
TNN, 2 February 2010, 02:32am IST
NEW DELHI: Even as Navy gears up for the `Milan' multi-nation exercise and conclave at the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands this week, the groundwork is also being laid for the next edition of the Indo-US `Malabar' naval war games in April-May.
The Malabar exercise on the west coast this year will be purely a bilateral one between the Indian and American navies, unlike the 13th Malabar exercise held in the Bay of Bengal in September 2007 that were expanded to include Australian, Japanese and Singaporean navies as well.
The 2007 Malabar had led to large-scale protests by the Left parties, with the CPM and CPI contending that US was using India to build up a security cooperation axis to `contain' China.
Beijing, too, had lodged strong protests against this so-called `axis of democracy' emerging in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, India has restricted the Malabar exercise to a bilateral one, even though both the Indian and American navies would like it to be a multi-lateral engagement.
As for the four-day Milan beginning on Thursday, there will be naval warships and delegations from 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific region taking part in it. Apart from humanitarian and search and rescue operations, the discussions will also focus on maritime terrorism, piracy, poaching and the like.
The seventh edition of Milan will have participation from Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Brunei, Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.
"Milan basically is a biennial conglomeration of Asia-Pacific maritime navies, hosted by the Indian Navy, to foster bonds of `friendship across the seas' and share views on common maritime issues. From four navies in 1995, it has grown to include over a dozen navies now,'' said an officer.
An important priority in the Asia-Pacific region is the protection of sea lanes around Malacca Strait since around 60,000 ships sail through it every year, transporting around 30% of the world trade in goods.
There is growing concern that terrorists might target Malacca Strait to disrupt this main ship passageway between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
For India, the stakes are clearly high, with the strategic A&N Islands dominating the approaches to Malacca Strait. "India's central location in Indian Ocean, astride these major commercial routes and energy lifelines, makes us a major stakeholder in the region's security and stability,'' said the officer.
TNN, 2 February 2010, 02:32am IST
NEW DELHI: Even as Navy gears up for the `Milan' multi-nation exercise and conclave at the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands this week, the groundwork is also being laid for the next edition of the Indo-US `Malabar' naval war games in April-May.
The Malabar exercise on the west coast this year will be purely a bilateral one between the Indian and American navies, unlike the 13th Malabar exercise held in the Bay of Bengal in September 2007 that were expanded to include Australian, Japanese and Singaporean navies as well.
The 2007 Malabar had led to large-scale protests by the Left parties, with the CPM and CPI contending that US was using India to build up a security cooperation axis to `contain' China.
Beijing, too, had lodged strong protests against this so-called `axis of democracy' emerging in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, India has restricted the Malabar exercise to a bilateral one, even though both the Indian and American navies would like it to be a multi-lateral engagement.
As for the four-day Milan beginning on Thursday, there will be naval warships and delegations from 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific region taking part in it. Apart from humanitarian and search and rescue operations, the discussions will also focus on maritime terrorism, piracy, poaching and the like.
The seventh edition of Milan will have participation from Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Brunei, Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.
"Milan basically is a biennial conglomeration of Asia-Pacific maritime navies, hosted by the Indian Navy, to foster bonds of `friendship across the seas' and share views on common maritime issues. From four navies in 1995, it has grown to include over a dozen navies now,'' said an officer.
An important priority in the Asia-Pacific region is the protection of sea lanes around Malacca Strait since around 60,000 ships sail through it every year, transporting around 30% of the world trade in goods.
There is growing concern that terrorists might target Malacca Strait to disrupt this main ship passageway between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
For India, the stakes are clearly high, with the strategic A&N Islands dominating the approaches to Malacca Strait. "India's central location in Indian Ocean, astride these major commercial routes and energy lifelines, makes us a major stakeholder in the region's security and stability,'' said the officer.
