The sea phase of the 11th edition of MILAN which witnessed participation of 26 ships, one submarine and 21 aircraft, culminated on 04 Mar 22. A series of complex and advanced exercises were undertaken in all three dimensions of Naval operations to enhance compatibility, interoperability, mutual understanding and maritime cooperation amongst the partner Navies. The exercise, held amid tensions between the West and Russia and the crisis in Ukraine, saw the warships of the Quad countries; France; Myanmar; South Korea and Vietnam and among others practice completing drills. Russia, Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia among others are participating in the exercise without ships.
The sea phase commenced with a series of exercises being undertaken to enhance the interoperability amongst the participating Navies. The first two days of exercises at sea included complex Anti Air Warfare drills with US P8A aircraft shepherding a strike of Indian fighter aircraft on a formation of warships of the participating navies. Additionally, weapon firings against low flying air targets were conducted, which reflected the proficiency of the crews and high levels of interoperability. During helicopter operations, cross deck landing operations were carried out. Ships from participating countries also exercised for replenishment at sea with Indian Navy’s tanker which requires precise manoeuvring and seamanship skills.
The next few days witnessed an increase in the complexity of exercises including underway replenishment, advanced anti-submarine exercises with participation by aircraft, surface target firings and simulation of complex operational scenarios. The Closing Ceremony of MILAN 22 was held in a unique format with Commanding Officers of participating ships arriving by helicopters and boats onboard INS Jalashwa at anchorage. Six foreign ships attended the Closing Ceremony in virtual mode. The ceremony was presided over by RAdm Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. The ceremony included a debrief of the exercises conducted at sea. Commanding Officers of participating countries expressed their appreciation for the well-conducted harbour and sea phase of MILAN 22.
MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise incepted by the Indian Navy in 1995 at Andaman and Nicobar Command. Since its inception, the event has been held biennially except for 2001, 2005, 2016 and 2020. While the 2001 and 2016 editions were not held due to International Fleet Reviews, the 2005 editions was rescheduled to 2006 due to the 2004 Tsunami. 2020 edition of MILAN was postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19. Starting with the participation of four countries, – Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand – in 1995, the exercise has since transitioned in terms of the number of participants and complexity of exercises.
