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Navy to carry out war games covering 7,516 kms of coastline

Coastal Security being a major sub-set of Coastal Defence construct, the concept of ‘Sea Vigil’ is to activate the Coastal Security apparatus across India and assess the overarching Coastal Defence mechanism, the ministry added…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard will conduct the third edition of the largest nationwide Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22′ on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people and injured over 300.

“The scale and conceptual expanse of the exercise is unprecedented in terms of the geographical extent, the number of stakeholders involved, the number of units participating and in terms of the objectives to be met,” the Ministry of Defence said on Monday.

Coastal Security being a major sub-set of Coastal Defence construct, the concept of ‘Sea Vigil’ is to activate the Coastal Security apparatus across India and assess the overarching Coastal Defence mechanism, the ministry added.

The exercise will be undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and will involve all the Coastal States and Union territories along with other maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.

While smaller scale exercises are conducted in Coastal States regularly, including combined exercises amongst adjoining states, the conduct of exercise Sea Vigil at the national level is aimed to serve a larger purpose.

“It provides opportunity, at the apex level, to assess our preparedness in the domain of Maritime Security and Coastal Defence. Exercise Sea Vigil-22 will provide realistic assessment of our strengths and weaknesses and thus will help in further strengthening Maritime and National Security,” the Ministry of Defence noted.

The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years. Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum Maritime Security challenges.

Assets of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and other maritime agencies will participate in Ex Sea Vigil.

In addition to the Ministry of Defence, the conduct of this exercise is also being facilitated by the Ministries of Home Affairs, Ports Shipping and Waterways, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Customs, and other agencies of Centre/ State.

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IAF begins war games with French Air Force  

This joint exercise will provide a platform for both the countries to enhance operational capability and interoperability, while also sharing best practices…reports Asian Lite News

Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force (FASF) are participating in a bilateral exercise, named ‘Garuda VII’, from October 26 to November 12, 2022, at Air Force Station Jodhpur.

In this exercise, FASF is participating with four Rafale fighter aircraft, one A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft and a contingent of 220 personnel. The IAF is participating with Su-30 MKI, Rafale, LCA Tejas and Jaguar fighter aircraft, as well as the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Mi-17 helicopters, read a press statement from the Ministry of Defence on Friday.

The IAF contingent will also include Combat Enabling Assets like Flight Refuelling Aircraft, AWACS and AEW & C. This joint exercise will provide a platform for both the countries to enhance operational capability and interoperability, while also sharing best practices.

This is the seventh edition of the bilateral exercise. The first, third and fifth editions were conducted in India in 2003, 2006 and 2014 at Air Force Stations Gwalior, Kalaikunda and Jodhpur, respectively. The second, fourth and sixth editions were conducted in France in 2005, 2010 and 2019.

Participation of the IAF and FASF in this exercise will promote professional interaction, exchange of experiences and enhancement of operational knowledge, besides strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, the statement said.

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India among 13 participants in Vostok 2022 war games

Leaders of other delegations stressed in their speeches that the event was strictly defensive in nature…reports Asian Lite News

International military drills have been launched in Russias Far East, with countries including India and China taking part, media reports said.

The US has voiced concern over Moscow’s ability to get other nations to participate in the exercises, RT reported.

The opening ceremony of the Vostok 2020 strategic exercises took place at a military range in Russia’s Primorsky Region on Wednesday, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Russia holds such drills annually, with the country’s military districts rotating each year as hosts. This year, the Eastern Military District welcomed 13 foreign nations, which accepted Russia’s invitation to send troops or military observers, RT reported.

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who represented the host nation at the ceremony, said the wide participation and scale of the exercise made it exceptional and demonstrated “the increased role and importance of joint training of our armed forces”.

Leaders of other delegations stressed in their speeches that the event was strictly defensive in nature.

Footage from the scene shows soldiers from participating nations marching as a military band plays. The list of foreign guests includes Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and Tajikistan. Nine of them sent troops to participate in the maneuvers portion of the exercises. Vostok 2022 includes war games for staff officers and field exercises for troops, as well as naval and aerial training. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, over 50,000 soldiers and officers and more than 5,000 pieces of heavy military equipment, including some 140 aircraft and 60 navy ships, will be taking part in the week-long exercise, which starts on Thursday,

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