Exercise Milan 2026: india Hosts Major Maritime Drill in Visakhapatnam
India is set to host MILAN 2026, a major multinational naval exercise organized by the indian Navy to strengthen maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Naval ships from three countries — Royal Thai Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and Sri Lanka Navy — have already arrived to participate in the event.
The Eastern Naval Command formally welcomed the visiting warships at Visakhapatnam port ahead of the exercise.
Participating ships include Thailand’s HTMS Krabi, Australia’s HMAS Waramunga, and Sri Lanka’s SLNS Nandi Mitra and SLNS Sagara.
MILAN, held biennially since 1995, aims to enhance interoperability, mutual understanding, and collective maritime security among friendly navies.
The exercise will be conducted in two phases — the harbor phase from february 19–20 and the sea phase in the Bay of bengal from february 21–25.
The prestigious international Fleet review (IFR) 2026 will also be part of the grand naval gathering.
The IFR will feature the participation of 71 ships, including 19 foreign warships and 45 indian Navy vessels.
Additional participants include ships from the indian Coast Guard, merchant navy, and research organizations.
India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant has already reached Visakhapatnam and will be a key highlight of the review.
The President of india will review the fleet at sea on february 18, marking one of the largest naval assemblies hosted by the country.
The exercise will involve joint drills with major global powers, including the United States, Russia, France, and Japan.
Discussions under the framework of the indian Ocean Naval Symposium will see participation from naval chiefs of 25 littoral nations.
Key focus areas include anti-piracy operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), maritime domain awareness, and countering illegal maritime activities.
Since its launch in 1995 with only four participating countries, MILAN has expanded significantly and now includes representation from 65 navies worldwide.
MILAN 2026 reflects India’s growing role as a maritime leader and a key security partner in the Indo-Pacific region.
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