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Exercise MILAN

India's Flagship Multilateral Naval Exercise

Exercise MILAN (Multilateral Indian-Led Assembly of Navies) was inaugurated by the Indian Navy in February 1995 at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as a biennial gathering of regional navies. The initial participants were the navies of India, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Over three decades, it has grown from a modest five-nation event to the world's largest multilateral naval exercise.

Key details
  • First held: February 1995, Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Command)
  • Editions 1–10: All held in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Edition 11 (2022): First time shifted to Visakhapatnam under Eastern Naval Command — largest edition with 40+ nations
  • Edition 12 (2024): 50 nations, 16 foreign warships, two Indian aircraft carriers deployed
  • Edition 13 (2026): 70+ nations invited (invitations extended to over 135 countries), theme: "Camaraderie, Cooperation and Collaboration"
  • Conducted under PM Modi's MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision
In the news

Tracked since February 14, 2026 · last seen March 05, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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