Rupal Kalebere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maritime Engagement across the Indian Ocean<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n India maintained a strong naval presence across the Indian Ocean Region during June through visits to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seychelles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n INS Tarkash arrived at Port Victoria after escorting the Seychelles Coast Guard vessel PS Zoroaster from India. The vessel had completed a refit at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The escort and delivery of spares demonstrated India\u2019s role in providing lifecycle support for maritime platforms. Such support is especially important for island states that depend on a limited number of vessels to monitor large maritime zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later in the month, INS Ikshak, an indigenously built survey vessel, arrived in Seychelles during the country\u2019s 50th National Day celebrations. The visit included professional exchanges, medical camps, distribution of essential supplies and public outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together, the two visits highlighted the range of India\u2013Seychelles maritime cooperation, covering vessel maintenance, hydrographic capability, operational support and humanitarian engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mauritius<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n INS Tarkash also visited Port Louis, where it conducted training for Mauritius National Coast Guard personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The training covered harbour and sea watchkeeping, firefighting, damage control, maritime safety and seamanship. These activities contributed directly to the coast guard\u2019s operational readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ship was also opened to the public, attracting members of the Indian diaspora and local community. The visit combined maritime-security cooperation with community and cultural diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n INS Sharda\u2019s port call at Colombo included training for Sri Lankan Navy personnel in small-arms handling, firefighting, first aid and rescue procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professional exchanges, cross-deck visits and sporting engagements helped strengthen familiarity between the two navies. The visit reinforced the practical nature of India\u2013Sri Lanka maritime cooperation, particularly in areas such as emergency response, search and rescue and neighbourhood security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These Indian Ocean engagements reflected India\u2019s MAHASAGAR vision, which places capacity-building, shared security and sustained regional partnerships at the centre of maritime cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deepening Defence Cooperation with Southeast Asia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n India\u2019s engagements with Thailand and Vietnam demonstrated the growing operational and industrial dimensions of its Act East Policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thailand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 10th Thailand\u2013India Defence Dialogue was held in Bangkok on 16 June 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two sides reviewed military exchanges, capacity-building, training and maritime cooperation. They also discussed expanding collaboration in defence manufacturing, research, innovation and capability development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later in the month, INS Udaygiri, INS Kavaratti and INS Shakti visited Sattahip as part of the Eastern Fleet\u2019s deployment to Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ships conducted professional exchanges and operational interactions with the Royal Thai Navy. The deployment also showcased India\u2019s indigenous naval shipbuilding capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The combination of strategic dialogue and naval engagement showed that India\u2013Thailand defence cooperation is developing simultaneously at the policy, industrial and operational levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vietnam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n INS Udaygiri and INS Kavaratti visited Ho Chi Minh City during the same regional deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The visit was the Indian Navy\u2019s first major presence in Vietnam following the elevation of bilateral relations to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indian and Vietnamese naval personnel conducted professional exchanges and bilateral exercises. Senior officials also discussed maritime cooperation and regional security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The deployment highlighted the growing importance of India\u2013Vietnam maritime ties. It also demonstrated India\u2019s ability to maintain a visible naval presence in Southeast Asia and showcase indigenously constructed warships to regional partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lokayan 26 and Wider Maritime Diplomacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n INS Sudarshini continued its transoceanic Lokayan 26 expedition during June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sail-training ship concluded a port call in Antigua, where it engaged with the government and defence leadership of Antigua and Barbuda. It later participated in Sail250 events in Norfolk and arrived in Baltimore as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time of its arrival in Baltimore, INS Sudarshini had sailed more than 13,000 nautical miles over five months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The expedition represented the softer dimension of naval diplomacy. Through sail training, public visits, cultural representation and international maritime events, India extended its naval outreach beyond the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n India\u2019s defence engagements in June 2026 demonstrated a shift from symbolic interaction towards more structured and operational partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Australia, India advanced cooperation in maritime surveillance, logistics, emerging technologies and defence industry. With Zimbabwe, it established a new institutional mechanism for training, maintenance and manufacturing cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across the Indian Ocean, naval visits combined presence with capacity-building, technical support and humanitarian outreach. In Southeast Asia, defence dialogues were reinforced by the operational deployment of Indian naval ships to Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The month also highlighted the growing role of indigenous defence platforms in India\u2019s external engagement. Ships such as INS Udaygiri, INS Kavaratti, INS Ikshak and INS Tarkash served not only operational purposes but also showcased India\u2019s shipbuilding, survey and maritime-support capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, June 2026 reflected India\u2019s emergence as a more active provider of maritime security, training, technology and defence cooperation across multiple regions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rupal Kalebere Maritime Engagement across the Indian Ocean India maintained a strong naval presence across the Indian Ocean Region during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[1021,1053,1045,1049,1051,1052,1050],"yoast_head":"\n