Indian Navy to host MILAN in March 2018

The Indian Navy is going to host 16 countries for multi-national 2018 MILAN exercise at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) islands from March 6 to 13, 2018. The eight-day mega naval exercise will be held under aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command with theme of ‘Friendship Across the Seas’.

Key Facts

Milan 2018 will witness diverse mix of professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures. The interactions at event encompass sharing of views and ideas on maritime good-order and enhancing regional cooperation for combating unlawful activities at sea.
16 countries participating in this edition of exercise include Australia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Cambodia.
The social interactions planned in Milan 2018 include display by bands of the Indian Navy and Indian Army, ship visits and colorful cultural evenings. Milan 2018 aims to showcase the rich heritage and pristine natural beauty of A&N Islands to foreign visitors.

MILAN Exercise

MILAN is congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by Indian Navy under aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. It was first held in 1995. In the first edition, only four littoral navies had participated in it. Now it has now grown into prestigious international event and encompasses participation by maritime forces from not just Bay of Bengal and South East Asia but larger Indian Ocean Region (lOR). It provides effective forum to participating navies to come together to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2018