NINE NAVIES DRILL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NINE NAVIES DRILL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NEWS: Nine navies hold joint drills in strategic straits between Indian Ocean and the Pacific

WHAT’S IN THE NEWS?

Nine Indo-Pacific nations participated in Exercise La Perouse, a multilateral naval drill hosted by France in strategic maritime straits. The focus was on enhancing maritime safety, interoperability, and collective crisis response, particularly through the use of IORIS (Indian Ocean Region Information Sharing System).

1. Exercise La Perouse

  • Host Nation: France.
  • Exercise centered around France’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) led by the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
  • Participating Nations:
  • India, France, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.
  • Participation highlights the geopolitical importance of collective maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Objective:
  • Enhance maritime interoperability during crises such as piracy, trafficking, and natural disasters.
  • Strengthen real-time information sharing among the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) nations.

2. Indian Navy’s Role

  • INS Mumbai:
    • A guided-missile destroyer showcasing India’s indigenous naval capabilities.
  • Highlights:
  • Known for operational excellence with accolades like "Best Ship" and "Most Spirited Ship."
  • Played critical roles in notable rescue operations:
      • Op Sukoon (2006): Evacuated civilians from Lebanon during the conflict.
      • Op Rahat (2015): Rescued individuals from war-torn Yemen.
  • Mid-life upgrades reinforced its advanced weapon systems and surveillance capabilities.

3. Strategic Maritime Straits

These straits are critical for global trade and security in the Indo-Pacific region:

Malacca Strait

  • Geography: Lies between Indonesia’s Sumatra island and Malaysia’s Peninsular region.
  • Significance:
  • One of the busiest global maritime trade routes.
  • Crucial for oil shipments from the Middle East to East Asia, including China and Japan.
  • A vital chokepoint for energy and goods, heavily reliant on coordinated security efforts.

Sunda Strait

  • Geography: Connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.
  • Challenges:
  • Narrow passageways and volcanic activity (notably Krakatoa) complicate navigation.
  • Strategic Importance:
  • Serves as an alternative route to the Malacca Strait, especially for Australia’s maritime strategy.

Lombok Strait

  • Geography: Lies between the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok.
  • Significance:
  • Deeper than Malacca and Sunda Straits, allowing large vessels like submarines and oil tankers.
  • Handles significant cargo volumes annually (~36 million tonnes worth $40 billion).

4. Indian Ocean Region Information Sharing System (IORIS)

  • Objective: Enhance maritime domain awareness among Indian Ocean Region countries.
  • Key Features:
  • Web-based coordination platform for real-time threat management.
  • Developed under the EU CRIMARIO Project to combat maritime challenges like piracy, trafficking, and illegal fishing.
  • Improves inter-agency collaboration for effective maritime crisis response.
  • Access: Open to IOR member countries, enabling coordinated action against shared maritime threats.

5. Implications of the Exercise

  • Strategic Importance:
  • Highlights the need for multilateral collaboration in securing critical chokepoints in the Indo-Pacific.
  • Reinforces the Indo-Pacific as a region of global strategic and economic interest.
  • Indian Navy’s Global Presence:
  • Participation of INS Mumbai underscores India’s expanding role in regional and global maritime security.
  • Strengthening Partnerships:
  • Deepens India’s defense ties with Indo-Pacific nations and aligns with India’s Act East and Indo-Pacific strategies.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nine-navies-hold-joint-drills-in-strategic-straits-between-indian-ocean-and-the-pacific/article69116469.ece#:~:text=Australia%2C%20Canada%2C%20France%2C%20India,are%20part%20of%20the%20exercise.