The Indian Navy’s frontline stealth frigate, INS Trikand, made a significant port call at Alexandria, Egypt, on September 1, 2025, marking India’s participation in Exercise Bright Star 2025, one of the largest multinational military exercises conducted in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Hosted jointly by Egypt and the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the exercise, running from September 1 to 10, 2025, encompasses the air, land, and maritime domains and is aimed at strengthening combined operational capabilities among partner nations.

This deployment forms a part of the Indian Navy’s broader operational mission in the strategically vital Mediterranean Sea, underscoring India’s commitment to enhancing maritime security and international cooperation in regions beyond its immediate neighbourhood.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) noted that Bright Star 2025 seeks to facilitate the exchange of best practices, enabling participating nations to evolve more effective strategies against both traditional and non-traditional maritime threats.

With the sharp rise of hybrid warfare, unconventional maritime challenges, and irregular threats, exercises such as these are viewed as crucial for enhancing war-fighting interoperability, coordination in irregular warfare, and the ability to respond swiftly in multi-domain operations.

Apart from India, the exercise has brought together contingents from Egypt, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Greece, Cyprus, and Italy, making it a genuinely multilateral security platform aimed at promoting regional stability and cooperative readiness.

India’s participation has an added layer of significance, as the arrival of INS Trikand was accompanied by active representation from the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, reflecting joint-services operational readiness and India’s emphasis on integrated military engagement in international forums.

The Indian Navy spokesperson, through an official post on platform X, emphasized that the exercise represents a “bridge of friendship” between India and Egypt, highlighting the growing defense and strategic ties between the two nations.

Alongside training at sea, the exercise also extends into structured bilateral and multilateral engagements, including senior-level military discussions, cross-deck visits, cultural exchanges, and sports activities, all designed to strengthen people-to-people connectivity and build mutual trust among service members from participating countries.

INS Trikand’s deployment to Alexandria also signals New Delhi’s greater focus on the Mediterranean and West Asian regions, areas increasingly central to global energy security, sea lines of communication, and maritime trade networks.

The MoD stressed that the key objectives of this ongoing deployment are professional naval engagements, fostering interoperability, and cultivating greater operational synergies with maritime partners.

Furthermore, the Indian Navy’s presence through such deployments projects India’s capability to operate in far seas while maintaining robust relations with littoral states in strategically sensitive waters.

The participation of INS Trikand in Exercise Bright Star 2025 not only reflects India’s determination to contribute to regional and global maritime security architecture but also deepens its strategic partnership with Egypt and other participating allies.

The exercise stands out as both a symbol of military diplomacy and a practical platform for advancing combined readiness against a spectrum of traditional, non-traditional, and hybrid threats in the evolving global security landscape.

Based On ANI Report