In terms of scale, the exercise would be in the category of Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC)—the largest naval war game in the world that is organised at Pearl Harbour by the US Indo-Pacific Command. In its last edition in 2018, 28 nations part

NEW DELHI: With over a dozen confirmed foreign warships and close to 20 other nations sending delegations, the MILAN exercise early next year will be India’s largest international war game, with top officials saying it will showcase the ability to carry out a world-class naval engagement. While 41 nations have been invited by India for the exercise that is to take place in March at Visakhapatnam, sources told ET that confirmations have been received by a majority and the focus of the war game will be to hone interoperability— a key shift from the past when the MILAN series was seen as more of a cultural and academic exchange.

The invitee list, which includes most major navies of the world but excludes China, Pakistan and Turkey, is also an indication of India’s strategic interests in the region, with several nations from Africa making it to the list. “We are not trying to make any statement,” a senior official told ET. “There are different ways to look at it but this will be a field practitioners meeting. There will a professional exchange and a key difference from other events like the International Fleet Review (IFR) will be that this is an operational exercise.”

In terms of scale, the exercise would be in the category of Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC)—the largest naval war game in the world that is organised at Pearl Harbour by the US Indo-Pacific Command. In its last edition in 2018, 28 nations participated in RIMPAC, including India, which had deployed a stealth frigate. While MILAN will not have the number of warships at RIMPAC—this number has gone up to 55—in terms of participating nations, it just might beat the world’s largest naval war game. “We now have the capability to conduct an exercise of this scale. It will be similar to RIMPAC where we will also be sending a ship next year,” the official said. Initiated in 1995 with four littoral nations coming together, the MILAN series has grown in strength over the past years, with the 2014 edition being the largest with the participation of 17 nations and 15 warships.