VISAKHAPATNAM: The eleventh edition of biennial multilateral naval exercise MILAN-2022 was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt here on Saturday. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, ambassadors, high commissioners, chiefs of foreign navies and delegation heads of participating countries and the commanding officers and crew of all participating ships were present.
Delivering the welcome address, Admiral Hari Kumar said the presence of a large number of foreign navies in MILAN underscored strong bond between the navies and countries. Oceans of the world have been instrumental in creating relations among nations. "There was a need to work together to face maritime domain challenges as most of them are transnational in character," he said and hoped MILAN will help augment existing ties between nations and take them to the next level.
The 11th edition aims at carrying forward MILAN’s legacy as evident in its theme of promoting ‘Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration’.
MILAN was launched in 1995 with four nations apart from India. The exercise has grown in magnitude and scope since then. MILAN could not be held in 2020 due to Covid. Despite Covid, a large number of navies are participating in MILAN 2022. He said MILAN will play a greater role in strengthening relations between the participating countries.
The minister said the goals of MILAN are aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘SAGAR -Security and Growth for All in the Region’. The Union Minister thanked Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and civic administration for the support.
A special day cover and a movie on the MILAN exercise were released by Ajay Bhatt. He also inaugurated the MILAN village where over 40 stalls of handicrafts and food stalls are arranged. Earlier in the morning, a trek was flagged off at the Dolphin’s Hill by the chief of navy, Australia, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan in the presence of CMDE MG Raju.
A friendly beach volleyball and tug of war were conducted with 500 personnel from participating navies.
39 countries participating, sea phase from March 1-4
In MILAN 2022, as many as 39 countries are participating. Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam is hosting MILAN for the first time. All previous editions were held at Port Blair under the aegis of the Tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Command. The participation from friendly foreign countries includes 13 ships, 39 delegations and one maritime patrol aircraft. The harbour phase of the exercise will culminate on February 28, followed by the sea phase from March 1 to 4.