NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s maritime exercise aimed at enhancing the inter-services synergy concluded on Tuesday. During the exercise a variety of weapon firings in a realistic tactical scenario, besides validation of operational missions and tasks under varying settings, were undertaken during the exercise.
Indian Navy in its statement on Wednesday said, “The exercise named Paschim Lehar (XPL-2022) was conducted over a duration of 20 days with an objective to validate operational plans of the Western Naval Command and enhance Inter-Service synergy among the Indian Navy, IAF, Indian Army and Coast Guard.” The exercise was conducted under the aegis of the Western Naval Command.
Giving the details of the assets, the Indian Navy said, “The intra-theatre exercise included mobilisation and participation of over 40 ships and submarines of the Indian Navy.”
There were major military assets mobilised. “The IAF deployed SU 30 MKI and Jaguar maritime strike aircraft, Flight Refuelling Aircraft and AWACs, alongside the Indian Navy’s maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8i, Dorniers, IL 38 SD, unmanned aerial systems and MiG 29K strike aircraft.” Added the Navy.
“Various elements of the Indian Army including Air Defence batteries were also mobilised for the exercise. After a long gap, many Offshore Patrol Vessels, Fast Patrol Vessels and Air Cushion Vessels of the Coast Guard also participated in exercise Paschim Lehar.`` The Navy told.
The exercise provided all participating forces an opportunity to operate together under realistic conditions, in responding to contemporary maritime challenges, across the areas of the Command’s responsibility.
As earlier reported by TNIE, the war fighting structure of the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force and Navy) is being reorganised into theatre commands with an aim to have the assets of all three forces under one commander responsible for all operations under his theatre.
Of the various structures under consideration, the entire geographical area is put under five theatre commands with Air Defence Theatre Command, Maritime Theatre Command, Northern Command (Comprising Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) and Western Command and Eastern Command.
At present, the three-armed forces have together 17 commands with Army and Air Force having seven commands each and Navy has three commands.