India and Australia on Monday started a five-day mega naval wargame with an goal to strengthen joint capabilities in assist of a steady and safe Indo-Pacific area. The AUSINDEX train will embody complicated floor, sub-surface and air operations between ships, submarines, helicopters and long-range maritime patrol plane of the 2 navies, Indian Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal mentioned.
The wargame is happening within the North Australian train space. “Indian Navy Task Group comprising ships Shivalik and Kadmatt, underneath the Command of Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti is taking part within the 4th version of the train from Sep 6-10,” the official said.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has deployed an Anzac Class frigate, HMAS Warramunga. The exercise is taking place a week after the navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan carried out the Malabar exercise off the coast of Guam in the Western Pacific. Australia’s department of defence said the ships will be joined by an Australian submarine, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, RAAF tactical fighter jets as well as embarked helicopters from both navies.
It said the exercise provides the two navies with an opportunity to “strengthen joint defence capabilities in support of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region.” “Australia and India are complete strategic companions. We share a dedication to rising the regularity and complexity of our navy coaching so we could be assured in our skill to work successfully to answer the maritime safety wants in our area,” Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Mark Hammond said.
“Each time our nations come together we develop further maritime interoperability by exercising more involved warfare serials demonstrating our strong commitment to an open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” he mentioned.
Commenced in 2015, the AUSINDEX has grown in complexity through the years and the third version of the train, held in 2019 within the Bay of Bengal, included anti-submarine drills for the primary time.
“The train will present a possibility for each Navies to additional bolster inter-operability, achieve from finest practices and develop a standard understanding of procedures for maritime safety operations,” Commander Madhwal said. The defence and security ties between India and Australia have been on an upswing in the last few years.
In June last, India and Australia elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support during an online summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) allows militaries of the two countries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, besides facilitating scaling up of overall defence cooperation.
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