New Delhi, July 16. The Indian Navy will host Operation Southern Readiness 26-2, a four-day multinational maritime training engagement, at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi from July 20 to 23, bringing together personnel from partner nations of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) to strengthen regional maritime security cooperation and interoperability.
The exercise will be conducted in partnership with the CMF under the aegis of the Indian Navy-led Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154), the multinational coalition’s dedicated training task force. The initiative is aimed at enhancing professional maritime skills, promoting the exchange of best practices and building capacity among participating navies.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the programme will feature a blend of classroom instruction, simulator-based learning and practical training. Participants will receive instruction in a wide range of maritime security disciplines, including maritime law, maritime domain awareness, information sharing, counter-narcotics operations, force protection, asymmetric threats and the use of maritime uncrewed systems.
The training will also include damage control and firefighting, maritime communications, survival at sea, boarding procedures and hands-on experience aboard an Indian naval ship.
The ministry said the exercise will highlight the Indian Navy’s advanced training infrastructure, state-of-the-art simulators and modern instructional methodologies. By combining theoretical learning with practical application, the programme seeks to improve interoperability, deepen professional understanding and strengthen cooperation among the participating nations.
The Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational maritime partnership comprising more than 40 countries, works to enhance security and stability across key international waterways. Through its leadership of CTF 154, the Indian Navy has been playing an important role in advancing multinational maritime training and regional capacity building.
Hosting the engagement at the Southern Naval Command underscores the command’s emergence as a premier maritime training hub while reinforcing the Indian Navy’s growing profile as a preferred destination for professional naval training and international maritime cooperation.
