Why is it in the News?

Indian Navy To Conduct One Of Its Largest Naval Exercises — MILAN — Next February; More Than Fifty Countries Expected To Participate

About Exercise Milan:

• Exercise Milan is a biennial multilateral naval exercise that began in 1995, and has since significantly expanded in scope and scale to become the largest exercise held by India.
• Initially involving only Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, it has evolved significantly in terms of participants and exercise complexity.
• Aligned with India's 'Look East Policy' initially, Milan expanded under the 'Act East Policy' and Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative, welcoming Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs).
• The mid-planning conference for Milan-24 occurred in October.
• The last edition of Milan, which is held off Visakhapatnam, saw participation from over 40 countries showcasing its substantial growth in scale and international engagement.
• The next edition of Exercise MILAN is scheduled to be held in February 2024 and is expected to see the participation of over 50 countries.
• It reflects the significant expansion of the Navy’s engagements as well as its capacity to assist countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as the first responder and Preferred Security Partner.