The Indian Navy tests its operational readiness in the face of threats from China and Pakistan

On the eve of the QUAD leaders’ summit to be held this summer and emerging threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Indian Navy has once again put its combat readiness and assets to the test in warfare scenarios. simulated threats during the TROPEX exercise.

With India facing threats from both China and Pakistan, the TROPEX Exercise takes on importance amid emerging threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its growing role in the Indo-Pacific. These are two important issues on the agenda of bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in New Delhi on Friday, and later this month with Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida.

Combat-Ready, Credible, Cohesive, and Future-Proof

Under the supervision of the Navy Headquarters, the three services, as well as the Indian Coast Guard, participated in the exercise, which took place at the IOR and included the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The exercise’s theater of operations spanned nearly 4,300 nautical miles from north to south to 35 degrees south latitude and 5,000 nautical miles from the Persian Gulf in the west to Australia’s northern coast in the east. According to the Indian Navy, it covered an area of ​​more than 21 million square nautical miles.

In this drill, six submarines, more than 75 aircraft and some 70 Indian Navy ships had been deployed in Ex PROPEX, which began last November and whose completion has brought an operational phase to an end.

“All elements of the Indian Navy are first tested on paper, then all perceived scenarios are simulated and during the drill from space, land, air and water everything is tested including emergencies like the breakdown of communications In the event of a breakdown in the communications network at critical moments, how to communicate in that scenario is rehearsed.

China has been increasing its presence not only in the Indian Ocean region, but also beyond it, and in this edition of Ex-Tropex the objective was to ensure that all weapons of the Indian forces were prepared to face geostrategic threats. “explained a high-ranking officer.

He adds: “As far as the Indian Navy is concerned, this large-scale exercise at the theater level helps to validate its concept of operation in different conflict scenarios, strengthening its role in maritime security in the IOR and beyond, as well as how to hone your war fighting skills.”

As India faces threats from both China and Pakistan, the TROPEX Exercise takes on importance amid emerging threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its growing role in the Indo-Pacific.

Background

This biennial theater-level exercise is generally conducted in three different phases, typically starting in January and running through March and into the IOR. The Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard are deploying their assets in this exercise, which aims to further strengthen interoperability and joint operations under a Theater Command Structure .

Ex TROPEX started in 2005 and until 2015 it was an annual exercise. From then on, his term became biennial; the previous edition took place in 2021. Rated as the greatest war game, Ex Sea Vigil and AMPHEX are part of it.

All assets of the Indian Navy are tested, including communications systems, aircraft, helicopters, frigates, corvettes, destroyers and submarines, and the idea is not only to validate the Navy’s concept of operations, but also to refine it. It is also about continuing to improve operational logistics and interoperability with other services.

There are three different phases: An independent preparation phase, then the joint preparation phase, and finally the tactical phase. Shooting exercises with live weapons were carried out in port and at sea, which are part of the training regime of Exercise TROPEX.

The culmination of TROPEX 23 brings to an end an intense operational phase of the Indian Navy that began in November 2022. According to the Indian Navy, on March 6, as part of the joint final phase, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh spent a day at sea aboard the newly commissioned indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant. And he reviewed not only the material readiness of the Indian Navy, but also its operational readiness as various aspects of combat operations were demonstrated, including indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) cover operations and live gun firing. .

Note: The article was originally published in English in the Financial Express, and its reproduction in Spanish is done with the direct authorization of the author. Link to the original article:https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/indian-navy-tests-operational-readiness-as-it-faces-threats-from-china-and-pakistan/3003638/

She is a senior journalist working at The Financial Express Publications. In a career spanning nearly three decades, she has covered diplomatic and strategic affairs, as well as the defense and aerospace sectors. She is an expert in Latin America and the Caribbean.