The inauguration edition of the Joint Naval Exercise between Indian Navy (IN) & European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR also known as Operation Atalanta) took place at Gulf of Aden from June 18-19, 2021.
- From the Indian side, Indian Naval Ship Trikand participated in the exercise. From the European side a total of 5 warships participated in the exercise. They are Italian Navy Ship ITS carabiniere, Spanish Navy Ship ESPS Navarra, and two French Navy Ship FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf.
- The exercise aims to enhance and hone their war-fighting skills to promote peace, security and stability in the maritime domain.
- Simultaneously, a virtual ‘Information sharing Exercise’ was conducted between Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region and the Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa.
Key Points
i.The exercise focused on high tempo-naval operations at sea, advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises, tactical manoeuvres, Search & Rescue and other maritime security operations.
ii.They also covered a wide range of issues like counter piracy operations and protection of vessels deployed under the charter of World Food Programme (UN WFP).
iii.Indian Navy & EU NAVFOR maintain regular interactions through SHADE (Shared Awareness and Deconfliction) meetings held annually at Bahrain.
Recent Related News:
March 29, 2021, The navies of India & US conducted a 2-day Passage Exercise ‘PASSEX’ in Bay of Bengal (Eastern Indian Ocean Region) from March 28-29, 2021.
About Indian Navy
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) – New Delhi
About European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR)
Vice Admiral – Jose M. Nunez Torrente
Operational Headquarters – Rota, Spain
