Milan (naval exercise)

Milan was first held in 1995. Since then, the event has been held biennially except for 2001, 2005, 2016, and 2020. The 2001 and 2016 editions were not held because of the International Fleet Review; the 2005 event was postponed to 2006 due to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; and the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The following table lists every edition of Milan and the countries that participated in the edition. Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand have participated in every edition of the exercise.

Countries participating for the first time are in italics.

The 11th edition of Milan was held from 25 February to 4 March 2022 in Visakhapatnam. It was the largest edition of the exercise, and was the first time it was held in Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command. The theme of the edition was "Camaraderie – Cohesion – Collaboration".[18] The Indian Navy had invited 46 nations to participate including all Quad nations.[19][6] Forty-two countries confirmed their participation.[16] Thirteen nations sent warships to attend the Milan 2022 exercise, while 39 nations were represented by delegations.[13] A total of 26 ships (13 foreign and 13 Indian Navy), 21 aircraft and 1 submarine participated in the exercise.[17][15]

The 2022 edition included a harbour phase (25-28 February) followed by a sea phase (1-4 March). The Indian Navy stated that a "series of complex and advanced exercises were undertaken in all three dimensions of naval operations to enhance compatibility, interoperability, mutual understanding and maritime cooperation amongst the partner navies". The sea phase involved underway replenishment, anti-submarine exercises involving aircraft, surface target firings and simulation of complex operational scenarios. During the first two days of the sea phase, the navies conducted anti-warfare drills including a United States Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft shepherding a strike by Indian fighter aircraft on a formation of warships. The navies also conducted weapons firings against low-flying air targets. Over the next days of the sea phase, cross-deck landing operations were conducted during helicopter operations and fleet tanker INS Shakti (A57) conducted underway replenishment for the ships of the participating navies.[7][17]

The 2022 edition was formally inaugurated by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt at the Naval Auditorium in Visakhapatnam on 26 February. The event was also attended by Admiral R. Hari Kumar, and the Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Chiefs of Navies, delegation heads of participating countries, and the Commanding Officers and crew of all participating ships.[20] As part of the exercise, a "MILAN village" was established at the Tarang Naval Institute to showcase Indian handicrafts, cuisine and arts, particularly from the host state of Andhra Pradesh, and serve as a venue for social interaction and cultural exchange between the participants.[13] Other events during Milan 2022 included an operational demonstration by the Indian Navy followed by an International City Parade (including foreign contingents) on the evening of 27 February, an international maritime seminar with the theme - "Harnessing Collective Maritime Competence through Collaboration" on 27–28 February, professional/subject matter expert exchanges, deep-submergence rescue vehicle demonstration, meeting of younger officers, sporting events, and cultural visits to Agra and Bodh Gaya.[21]

The closing ceremony was held onboard INS Jalashwa (L41) and was led by Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. The Commanding Officers of the participating ships arrived onboard Jalashwa by helicopters and boats, and conducted a debrief on the exercise.[7][17][22] Commanding officer of the USS Fitzgerald, Cmdr. David Catterall, stated that Milan provided an opportunity for "like-minded navies that sharing a common vision of a more stable, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, to operate and train alongside one another". He added, "We are grateful for India's hosting this important event and their efforts to harmonize our contributions to the region, and look forward to ensuring future engagements to build strong alliances and partnerships."[23]