NEW DELHI: The maritime forces of India, Australia and Indonesia got together to spruce up their collective capabilities in support of a stable, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific for the first time.
Informing about the participation of the Indian Navy's indigenously built warship INS Sahyadri, mission deployed in Indo-Pacific, that the frigate "participated in the maiden trilateral Maritime Partnership Exercise with the ships and aircraft from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Indonesian Navy from 20 - 21 Sep 2023."
"The trilateral exercise provided an opportunity for the three maritime nations to strengthen their partnership and improve their collective capability to support a stable, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region. Complex tactical and manoeuvring exercises, cross-deck visits and cross-deck landings of integral helicopters were conducted for training of crew and enhancement of interoperability." Navy said.
The exercise also provided the opportunity for the participating navies to benefit from each other's experience and expertise, added the Indian Navy.
The three democratic countries share a collective vision for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
INS Sahyadri, the third ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-17 class multirole stealth frigates was built at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai and is commanded by Capt Rajan Kapoor.
India, jointly with the United States, is also organising the 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs' Conclave, the 47th Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar and the Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum this week.
The Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC), instituted as a biennial event in 1999, is attended by Army Chiefs of countries of the Indo-Pacific region, to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Speaking on Monday, during the curtain raiser of the event, Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar underlined the significance of the Indo-Pacific region. "Talking about the s With a population encompassing 64 per cent of the world's inhabitants, a GDP contribution of 63 per cent, and a significant share of the world's merchandise trade at 46 per cent, the Indo-Pacific holds a pivotal role in the world economy. This region also commands authority over 50 per cent of global maritime trade, emphasizing its central position in international commerce.", added Lt Gen Kumar.
India's geography bestows it a geostrategic location along vital Sea Lanes of Communication. This positioning, coupled with the fact that 90 per cent of our trade and energy resources traverse these global commons, makes India an inalienable part of the Indo-Pacific, he added.