NEW DELHI: India and eight other nations are now participating in a major naval exercise organized by France around the Malacca, Sunda and Lombok straits between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, demonstrating their commitment to an international order based on rules in the maritime field. .
India has deployed the guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai for the ‘La Perouse’ exercise, which includes the French carrier strike group (CSG) led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle.
“The exercise aims to develop common maritime situational awareness by enhancing cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance, interdiction operations and air operations, along with conducting progressive training and information sharing,” the Navy spokesperson, Captain Vivek Madhwal.
“The exercise provides an opportunity for like-minded navies to develop closer ties in planning, coordination and information sharing to improve tactical interoperability,” he added.
The exercise will witness complex and advanced multi-domain exercises, including surface warfare, anti-air warfare, air defence, inter-deck landings and tactical manoeuvres, as well as police missions such as VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure). operations.
The other warships participating are the littoral combat ship USS Savannah (USA), HMAS Hobart (Australia), HMCS Ottawa (Canada), the destroyer FFG Lekir and the ship Gagah Samudera (Malaysia), the high seas patrol vessel HMS Spey (United Kingdom) and the patrol vessel RSN. Independence (Singapore). Indonesia, for its part, provides ground support to the French CSG’s Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft.
In a statement, the French embassy said: “The Straits of Malacca, Sunda and Lombok, pillars of global maritime trade, are subject to numerous human-induced risks, such as maritime accidents and environmental hazards, illegal immigration, drug trafficking and risks. natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
“Strengthening maritime security will be at the center of this exercise, with the development of interoperability and the ability to act collectively in the event of a maritime crisis. The different forces distributed in the area will be trained to search and then intercept ships suspected of illegal activities,” he added.