Exercise MILAN 2026 India, inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Visakhapatnam, strengthens maritime cooperation, interoperability, and India’s MAHASAGAR vision.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh Inaugurates 13th Edition of Exercise MILAN‑2026
Visakhapatnam Hosts Landmark Multilateral Naval Exercise
On 19 February 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 13th edition of Exercise MILAN‑2026 at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh — marking a significant milestone in India’s maritime diplomacy and defence cooperation. The biennial naval exercise, organised by the Indian Navy‑Eastern Naval Command, brought together naval forces from across the globe to collaborate, train, and build trust in an increasingly complex maritime environment.
Largest Edition Ever: 74 Participating Nations
This year’s edition was the largest and most comprehensive in the history of MILAN, witnessing participation from 74 countries — a clear indicator of the global maritime community’s confidence in India as a reliable and responsible partner in maritime security.
Boosting Maritime Cooperation and Interoperability
Exercise MILAN is designed to enhance naval interoperability, professional exchanges, and collaborative tactics among participating navies. Through a series of drills, seminars, and coordinated manoeuvres, the exercise enables nations to tackle traditional challenges such as piracy, and illegal fishing, as well as emerging threats like maritime terrorism and human trafficking.
Structure: Harbour & Sea Phases
The exercise was conducted in two phases:
- Harbour Phase – Professional interactions, cultural exchanges and strategic seminars.
- Sea Phase – Complex operational exercises involving scenarios like air‑defence drills, anti‑submarine warfare, and search‑and‑rescue operations.
Strategic Importance of Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam continues to solidify its role as a strategic hub for India’s Indian Ocean Region (IOR) strategy due to its eastern seaboard location, robust naval infrastructure, and shipbuilding capabilities. Hosting MILAN‑2026 reinforced India’s intent to emphasise the Indo‑Pacific as a key theatre for peace, collaboration, and maritime security.
Reflecting India’s MAHASAGAR Vision
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh highlighted that platforms like MILAN enable navies around the world to address shared risks jointly and more effectively. He underlined that no nation alone can counter complex maritime threats and stressed the significance of mutual trust built through such exercises — a cornerstone of India’s MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision.
Why This News is Important
Significance for Government Exam Aspirants
The inauguration of Exercise MILAN‑2026 holds high importance for students preparing for competitive exams like SSC, UPSC (IAS/PCS), CAPF, Banking, Railways, and Teaching as it merges contemporary defence dynamics with India’s strategic diplomacy. This event reflects:
- India’s expanding global footprint in defence and strategic cooperation with multiple nations.
- Strengthening of maritime security and collaborative mechanisms among navies, showcasing India as a key security provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- The exercise sheds light on joint military operations, interoperability, and international defence engagements, topics frequently asked in general studies, current affairs, and defence sections of competitive exams.
- Understanding the MAHASAGAR vision, India’s strategic maritime policy, and evolving geopolitical interests helps aspirants frame answers in descriptive sections and interview preparations.
Given global maritime challenges like piracy, terrorism, and humanitarian crises, MILAN‑2026 exemplifies how multilateral defence drills help nations operate cohesively, a key aspect of India’s foreign and security policy.
Historical Context
Evolution of Exercise MILAN
Exercise MILAN started in 1995 as a modest regional naval exercise involving a few friendly navies in the Indian Ocean. Over the years, it has grown into one of the world’s most inclusive multilateral naval drills, bringing advanced navies together for collective learning, coordination, and capability enhancement.
Expanding Global Participation
From a small regional initiative, MILAN has expanded to include more than 70 nations in recent editions, showing India’s rise as a pivotal partner in global maritime security architecture.
India’s Maritime Strategy
India’s naval engagements like MILAN are anchored in its SAGAR policy (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and now its broader MAHASAGAR vision, aiming to foster security cooperation, prosperous trade routes, and coordinated crisis responses with partner countries across the Indo‑Pacific and beyond.
Key Takeaways from Exercise MILAN‑2026
| S. No. | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise MILAN‑2026 was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Visakhapatnam on 19 Feb 2026. |
| 2 | 74 countries participated, making it the largest edition in the history of the exercise. |
| 3 | The exercise focuses on maritime cooperation, interoperability, and joint naval drills. |
| 4 | It reflects India’s role as a trusted maritime partner and strategic influencer in the Indo‑Pacific. |
| 5 | The event aligns with India’s MAHASAGAR vision, aimed at collaborative security and growth. |
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is Exercise MILAN?
Exercise MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise organized by the Indian Navy to enhance maritime cooperation, interoperability, and collective security among participating countries.
Q2. When and where was Exercise MILAN‑2026 held?
The 13th edition of Exercise MILAN‑2026 was held at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and inaugurated on 19 February 2026 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Q3. How many countries participated in MILAN‑2026?
A record 74 countries participated in MILAN‑2026, making it the largest edition of the exercise to date.
Q4. What are the main objectives of Exercise MILAN?
The exercise aims to strengthen naval interoperability, conduct joint operational drills, share best practices, and address maritime security challenges such as piracy, human trafficking, and maritime terrorism.
Q5. What is India’s MAHASAGAR vision?
MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) is India’s strategic vision to promote collaborative maritime security and economic growth among partner nations.
Q6. What are the two phases of the exercise?
MILAN‑2026 consists of the Harbour Phase, involving professional and cultural interactions, and the Sea Phase, including operational drills like air-defence, anti-submarine warfare, and search-and-rescue operations.
Q7. Why is Visakhapatnam strategically important for MILAN?
Visakhapatnam’s eastern seaboard location, naval infrastructure, and shipbuilding capabilities make it an ideal hub for India’s naval exercises and the Indo-Pacific maritime strategy.
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