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New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) India will host three major international maritime events in Visakhapatnam in February 2026, namely the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026, Exercise MILAN 2026, and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Chiefs of Naval Staff Conclave, scheduled to be held from 15-25 February, marking the first time that India is hosting these major maritime events simultaneously.
The event realizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s OCEAN vision (reciprocal and holistic advancement of security and development in all sectors) announced in 2025.
According to officials, the February 2026 convergence is a key operational expression of this vision, demonstrating India’s commitment to being the ‘preferred security partner’ for all friends and partners.
Notably, navies from across the world have been invited to participate in this historic gathering at Visakhapatnam, India’s eastern sea gateway and home of the Eastern Naval Command.
The event will reflect India’s commitment towards free, open and inclusive seas, based on strategic frameworks including Oceans, Act East Policy, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
The event will see a Presidential Fleet Review at sea by Draupadi Murmu, President of India, showcasing indigenous platforms including INS Vikrant (India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier), Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, Nilgiri-class stealth frigates and Arnala-class anti-submarine warfare frigates – marking India’s transformation into a ‘builders’ navy’.
Similarly, Indian Navy ships will be joined by a diverse contingent of ships from friendly foreign countries, Indian Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.
The Sea and Harbor phases of Exercise MILAN will focus on interoperability, maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, air defense and search and rescue operations.
The International City Parade will see contingents from the participating Navies, Indian Army and Indian Air Force marching through Visakhapatnam’s iconic beach, RK Beach, demonstrating maritime diplomacy directly to the citizens.
The IONS Conclave of Chiefs, during which the Indian Navy will assume the presidency for the second time (2025-2027), will bring together 25 members, 9 observers and naval chiefs from specially invited countries to deliberate on maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and information sharing.
It is pertinent to note here that India’s IFR tradition began with the 2001 Mumbai edition hosting 20 foreign navies and reached greater heights with the 2016 Visakhapatnam IFR, which welcomed navies from all over the world.
Exercise MILAN, which began with four navies at Port Blair in 1995, has now evolved into a major multilateral exercise with partner navies from around the world participating in 2024.
–IANS
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