CULMINATION OF THE MAIDEN BIMSTEC MARITIME SECURITY EXERCISE AT ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR COMMAND
PIB National (English) · Published 6 November 2026 · Last updated
India hosted the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to enhance regional maritime cooperation, interoperability, and operational coordination in the Bay of Bengal.
Key points
- The inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was held from October 30 to November 3 at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Participating nations in the exercise include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
- The exercise was conducted under the banner of "Shared Seas, Shared Security and Shared Prosperity".
- The initiative builds directly on the outcomes of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, specifically advancing a key proposal announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The operational schedule comprised three days of Tabletop Exercises followed by a two-day Harbour Phase involving naval ships from member states.
- The exercise aims to improve interoperability, sharpen Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), streamline coordination mechanisms, and encourage the exchange of best practices.
- The Ministry of Defence described the drill as a practical step towards translating the vision of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit into operational action.
- The hosting of the exercise leverages the strategic location and capabilities of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's first integrated tri-service command.
Background
- The 6th BIMSTEC Summit was held under the theme "BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open", during which key regional maritime security initiatives were proposed.
- On October 13, India hosted the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' meeting in New Delhi to strengthen regional cooperation against terrorism, transnational organized crime, and narcotics.
- Historically, regional cooperation in the Bay of Bengal under BIMSTEC has primarily focused on economic and technical areas, making dedicated security exercises a novel institutional step.
- The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) was established as India's first integrated tri-service command, positioned strategically astride key sea lanes of communication to oversee regional maritime security.
UPSC relevance, Prelims facts and Mains angle for this issue are in the full SWAदेSH note.
Original report: PIB National (English)