VISAKHAPATNAM: Visakhapatnam City will host Milan-2024, the multilateral naval exercise, in February next under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC). Participation of the maritime forces from 60 countries is expected.
Stating this, commander-in-chief of ENC, vice admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, said that hereafter, Visakhapatnam will host Milan every alternate year.
Addressing the media at the naval command area on Friday, the outgoing ENC chief said Milan 2022 held here had the participation of 39 countries and it gave a “wonderful exposure to the navies from across the world.” He thanked the AP government for its cooperation in hosting the prestigious exercise.
With new technology coming to the fore every year, the coming edition of Milan would be a more interesting experience for the navies, he said.
Milan was first held in 1995. Apart from the Indian Navy, the navies of Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in it. All editions of Milan had been hosted under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command in the Andaman Sea. In 2020, the Navy decided to hold the next edition of Milan in Visakhapatnam, under the Eastern Naval Command.
Over the years, the Indian Navy grew from a coastal navy to a huge maritime force having a footprint beyond the Indian Ocean on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west. Earlier, the Indian warships were going on a voyage up to 1500 miles and returning to the shore.
“Now we can sustain at sea for long, we gained international stature and became a credible force in the world. The Indian Navy aims to become self-reliant by 2047, the year India celebrates the centenary of Independence.
