The 10th-anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) commenced with the release of the ‘Special Cover’ in Kochi.
The commemorative Special Cover of IONS 10th Anniversary celebrations depicts a map of the Indian Ocean and littoral countries of the IOR, signifying the geopolitical importance of the region.
IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
There are 36 littoral in the Indian Ocean which have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions.
South Asian Littorals - Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka
West Asian Littorals - Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen
East African Littorals - Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania
South East Asian and Australian Littorals - Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste
The inaugural edition of IONS-2008 was held in New Delhi. The theme of the IONS-2008 was “Contemporary Transnational Challenges – International Maritime Connectivities”.
The 2nd edition i.e. IONS-2010 was held in Abu-Dhabi. The theme of IONS-2010 was "Together for the Reinforcement of Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean".
INDO-Russian joint exercise INDRA 2018
The joint military exercise between Indian and Russia EXERCISE INDRA 2018 on combating insurgency under the aegis of United Nations (UN) is being conducted at Babina Military Station, Jhansi (UP).
The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance interoperability of the two Armies in the peacekeeping/ enforcement environment.
Exercise Samudra Shakti
The inaugural edition of Indian Navy – Indonesian Navy Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ is scheduled from 12 to 18 Nov 18.
The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices.
