NEW DELHI: India and eight other nations are now taking part in a major naval exercise hosted by France around the Malacca, Sunda and Lombok straits between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, demonstrating their commitment to a rules-based international order in the maritime domain.
India has deployed guided-missile destroyer INS Mumbai for the `La Perouse’ exercise, which includes French carrier strike group (CSG) led by 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 the conduct of progressive training and information-sharing,” Navy spokesperson Captain Vivek Madhwal said on Saturday.
“The exercise provides an opportunity for like-minded navies to develop closer links in planning, coordination and information-sharing for enhanced tactical interoperability,” he added.
The exercise will witness complex and advanced multi-domain exercises, including surface warfare, anti-air warfare, air-defence, cross-deck landings and tactical manoeuvres, as also the constabulary missions such as VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) operations.
The other warships taking part are littoral combat ship USS Savannah (US), HMAS Hobart (Australia), HMCS Ottawa (Canada), destroyer FFG Lekir and vessel Gagah Samudera (Malaysia), offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey (UK) and patrol vessel RSN Independence (Singapore). Indonesia, in turn, is providing base support on land for the Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft of French CSG.
In a statement, the French embassy said, “The Malacca, Sunda and Lombok straits, mainstays of global maritime trade, are subject to numerous human-induced risks such as maritime accidents and environmental hazards, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and natural risks like earthquakes and tsunamis.”
“Strengthening maritime safety will be at the core of this exercise, with the development of interoperability and the ability to act collectively in the event of a maritime crisis. The various forces distributed in the area will train to search and then intercept ships suspected of illicit activities,” it added.