Overview

• The three-day drills will feature Indian Navy warships alongside EUNAVFOR ATALANTA frigates Antonio Marceglia and Reina Sofia with their air assets.
• The exercise will test advanced counter-piracy operations, tactical manoeuvres and enhanced communication protocols under each side’s Maritime Operations Centre control.
• These manoeuvres build on earlier engagements this year, including Ursula von der Leyen’s February visit, March’s fourth EU-India maritime security dialogue and April talks by Operation ATALANTA commander Ignacio Villanueva Serrano.
• Operation ATALANTA, launched in 2008 to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden, now also targets counter-narcotics, arms smuggling and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the western Indian Ocean.
• A ministerial strategic dialogue is scheduled in Brussels next month, setting the stage for a forthcoming EU-India agenda to deepen maritime cooperation.