Sunday 15 / November / 2026
New Delhi: The Indian Navy has undertaken an extensive series of bilateral and multilateral maritime engagements between September and November 2026, deploying its ships across the Indian Ocean, Western Pacific, Mediterranean and North Atlantic.
The operations involve neighbouring countries, ASEAN members, Gulf and African nations, European navies and Indo-Pacific partners, highlighting India's growing maritime reach, operational capabilities and commitment to strengthening regional security. The engagements also reinforce the Indian Navy's position as a preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean Region.
Strengthening neighbourhood partnerships
In the Bay of Bengal and neighbouring waters, the engagements began with the India–Myanmar Coordinated Patrol off Yangon in early September. This was followed by the 13th edition of the Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise (SLINEX) at Visakhapatnam, featuring special forces operations, air exercises and replenishment-at-sea drills.
The first BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was conducted at Sri Vijayapuram in late October, followed by Exercise Rahat Mitra, a humanitarian assistance engagement with Myanmar at Chennai.
The eighth edition of the India–Myanmar Naval Exercise (IMNEX-26) is currently underway at Visakhapatnam. Myanmar's UMS King Sin Phyu Shin is participating alongside Indian naval ships INS Rana and INS Sumedha.
Further east, as part of the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation, INS Mysore participated in Exercise Samudra Laksamana with the Malaysian Navy at Lumut.
INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish took part in the ADMM-Plus Maritime Security Joint Cooperation Activity at Subic Bay in the Philippines, followed by the second ASEAN–India Maritime Exercise. Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam hosted the October edition of the Singapore–India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX), further strengthening longstanding naval cooperation between the two countries.
INS Sahyadri subsequently sailed to Vladivostok to participate in Exercise INDRA with the Russian Navy. The ship then joined a bilateral naval exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy at Busan before taking part in Exercise MALABAR alongside the United States, Japan and Australia at Yokosuka.
These engagements reflect the Indian Navy's expanding operational footprint and its sustained efforts to deepen maritime cooperation, enhance interoperability and promote a secure and stable maritime environment.
