Overview

• INS Mysore, INS Kiltan and INS Shakti arrived at the Port of Manila on July 30 for goodwill activities and planning with the Philippine Navy
• The inaugural joint patrol is set for August 4–8 and will include operations in waters contested by Manila and Beijing
• The Maritime Cooperative Activity will focus on force interoperability as part of New Delhi’s MAHASAGAR strategic deployment across Southeast Asia
• The exercise coincides with President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s visit to India, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu
• India’s growing support for Manila follows its 2022 sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippine Marine Corps