The Italian Navy’s destroyer ITS Caio Duilio, currently deployed under the European Union’s Operation ASPIDES, conducted a passage exercise (PASSEX) with the Indian Navy’s latest Project 15B destroyer INS Surat in the Indian Ocean on 9 September 2025.

This marked the first coordinated exercise held under the direct operational command of Rear Admiral Andrea Quondamatteo, Force Commander of Operation ASPIDES, involving both EU naval forces and the Indian Navy.

The exercise is being highlighted as a milestone in EU-India naval cooperation, reinforcing interoperability and shared security commitments in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive maritime frontiers.

The PASSEX featured a range of complex operational segments, including ship-handling manoeuvres, tactical communication drills using both radio and data link networks, and the conduct of simultaneous flight operations involving embarked helicopters.

Crew training modules also covered combat readiness procedures, coordinated navigation, and maritime domain awareness sharing. The scope of drills was designed not merely as a tactical exercise but as a broader initiative to promote procedural harmonisation, interoperability standards, and operational trust between European naval forces and the Indian Navy.

The cooperation drew strategic significance from the stated objectives of Operation ASPIDES, a European-led naval security mission launched to safeguard freedom of navigation across critical waterways including the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Oman Sea, and the North-Western stretches of the Indian Ocean.

These sea lanes represent vital arteries for the global economy, enabling the flow of hydrocarbons, containerised cargo, and critical raw materials between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific. By aligning with ASPIDES, the Indian Navy has effectively underscored its role as a net maritime security provider in the wider Indo-Pacific, converging with European priorities that view maritime trade stability as inseparable from economic resilience.

From a geopolitical perspective, the exercise builds upon the increasing frequency of India–Europe naval engagements witnessed in the past decade. The EU has steadily expanded its security footprint in the Indian Ocean, seeking to cooperate with likeminded partners to counter piracy threats, illegal trafficking, and the growing presence of rival state actors.

India, for its part, has viewed partnership with European maritime coalitions as a means to enhance naval diplomacy and reinforce its strategic narrative of defending the rules-based international order at sea. The PASSEX between Caio Duilio and INS Surat thus represents both a tactical drill and a symbolic demonstration of Europe–India alignment on maritime strategy.

Rear Admiral Andrea Quondamatteo, in assessing the exercise, noted that cooperation with the Indian Navy represents a fundamental step towards securing regional sea lines of communication (SLOCs), particularly through the shortest commercial route that connects Europe and the Indo-Pacific via the Red Sea.

His remarks further emphasised that India and Europe possess a shared stake in ensuring the unhindered flow of goods, energy, and commodities across these lanes—critical to the prosperity and livelihood of societies on both continents. This sentiment underscores the intent that such joint exercises are not episodic engagements but part of a longer trajectory toward sustained maritime partnership and burden-sharing across contested seas.

Finally, the inclusion of INS Surat, one of the newest Indian guided-missile destroyers equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry, sensors, and multi-role aviation facilities, added a layer of visibility and heft to the exercise. Its pairing with ITS Caio Duilio, a destroyer deployed under EU’s most advanced security mission, symbolised the coalescence of two modern blue-water navies working to project stability.

By combining advanced tactical manoeuvres with political signalling, the PASSEX has contributed to operational readiness, deepened mutual naval trust, and positioned India–EU cooperation as a crucial anchor for maritime security in the broader Indo-Pacific corridor.

Based On ANI Report