Exercise MILAN

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    In News

    • Exercise Milan is scheduled to be held from February 25 to March 4 for which 46 countries have been invited. 

    More In News 

    • The Indian Navy is set to hold the 12th President’s Fleet Review (PFR) on February 21 at Visakhapatnam.

    About Exercise Milan

    • It is a biennial, multilateral naval exercise which started in 1995.
    • It has so far been held at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar but is now being shifted to Visakhapatnam which offers more infrastructure as well as sea space for the exercise.
    • It has several themes such as anti-submarine warfare among others along with deliberations, including by subject matter experts.
    • The areas of cooperation of the exercise include capacity building, marine domain awareness, training, hydrography, technical assistance, and operational exercises.
    • During the exercise, the Navy will also be showcasing its Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) capabilities meant to rescue submarines in distress.
      • India is one of the few countries in the region which possesses this capability.
    • This year’s Milan will see the participation of all Quad countries, with the U.S. being invited for the first time.

    What is Fleet Review?

    • It is a “long-standing tradition followed by navies all across the world” and it is “an assembly of ships at a pre-designated place for the purpose of displaying loyalty and allegiance to the sovereign and the state”.
    • It is usually conducted once during the tenure of the President. 
      • Since Independence 11 PFRs have been conducted by the Navy, of which two have been International Fleet Reviews in 2011 and 2016.
        •  The first PFR was held in 1953 for the first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
    •  In terms of significance, the Navy’s Presidential review is second only to the Republic Day Parade.

    Source: TH

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