Navy Participates in Milan Multinational Naval Exercise for the First Time

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]The Navy is participating in a multinational joint maritime exercise for the first time. This exercise is hosted by India and involves 16 countries including the United States, Japan, and Australia.

On the 22nd, a Navy official announced that they plan to participate in 'Milan-2022,' held from the 25th of this month to the 4th of next month near the local waters under India's hosting. The military originally intended to participate in this exercise in 2020 as well, but could not join due to disruptions caused by the spread of COVID-19 in India at that time.

This is the first time our military is participating in the Milan exercise, dispatching about 100 personnel including the new frigate 'Gwangju' (FFG-817).

In this exercise, 16 countries including our Navy, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia are dispatching warships. Additionally, 30 countries are sending observers, making it a large-scale joint exercise involving effectively 46 countries. The exercise is reported to focus on missions such as blocking illegal maritime activities in the Indian Ocean, improving interoperability among participating countries, and sharing and practicing phased procedures to prepare for threats.

Some analysts suggest that since all Quad (the security consultative group of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India) member countries have dispatched warships, the exercise effectively represents strengthened cooperation aimed at countering China in the Indo-Pacific region.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.