India and EU Set to Conduct Joint Naval Exercise in Indian Ocean

Joint Naval Exercise Highlights Security Collaboration

India and the European Union (EU) are preparing for a three-day joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, scheduled from June 1 to 3. This initiative underscores the strengthening security partnership between India and the EU.

The exercise will involve warships from the Indian Navy alongside two frigates from Italy and Spain, both of which are currently engaged in the EU Naval Force's Operation Atalanta in the region.

According to a statement from the EU, the focus of the joint exercise will be on advanced counter-piracy operations, enhancing interoperability, tactical maneuvers, and improving communication protocols, showcasing the growing maritime security collaboration between the two entities.

In recent years, naval cooperation between the EU and India has intensified, with joint exercises conducted in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Guinea. The Indian Navy has also been escorting vessels chartered by the World Food Programme in coordination with Operation Atalanta.

The partnership on maritime security has been bolstered, with several EU member states outlining their strategies for the Indo-Pacific region. The statement emphasized a mutual commitment to maintaining a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based maritime order in this area.

This commitment is founded on principles such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy, the rule of law, freedom of navigation, lawful commerce, and peaceful dispute resolution in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The upcoming exercise is a significant follow-up to the visit of the EU College of Commissioners, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to India in February. A key outcome of that visit was the enhancement of maritime domain awareness for better coordination and interoperability.

During the fourth EU-India maritime security dialogue held in March, there was a strong emphasis on collaboration to combat illicit maritime activities and explore further joint actions aligned with the exercise's objectives. In April, Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, the operation commander for Operation Atalanta, visited India to strengthen ties with the Indian Navy.

Operation Atalanta, initiated in 2008 under a European Union mandate to address piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Aden, has evolved to tackle a broader spectrum of maritime security issues, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal fishing in the Horn of Africa and the western Indian Ocean.

Warships from EU member states involved in Operation Atalanta have previously conducted passing exercises, known as 'passex', with the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean.