The Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command is participating in La Perouse 25, a multinational naval exercise alongside eight other Indo-Pacific countries-Australia, Canada, the US, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UK, and Singapore. The exercise, which commenced on January 16 and will continue until January 24, is being conducted in the Straits of Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok, a release from Eastern Naval Command said on Monday.
The exercise, led by the French Carrier Strike Group, focused on enhancing maritime security and cooperation among participating nations to address maritime crises, such as illegal activities, environmental threats, and natural disasters present in these vital global trade routes.
The training covered a wide range of maritime security operations, including searching for and intercepting vessels suspected of illegal activities, with participating navies using the Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (IORIS) communication and coordination system to coordinate efforts during crises.
The La Perouse 25 exercise underscores the commitment of Indo-Pacific countries to strengthen regional maritime security cooperation and improve collective response capabilities to various threats in the strategically important Malacca, Sunda and Lombok Straits.