Overview
- The exercise ran from January 9 to 16 off South Africa and was framed by Pretoria as a maritime safety and interoperability drill.
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated the event was a South African initiative, clarified India did not participate, and contrasted it with India’s institutional IBSAMAR partnership.
- Naval forces from China, Russia, the UAE and South Africa took part, with Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia joining as observers according to reporting.
- Iran sent ships, though its role was reported as curtailed, with accounts indicating a withdrawal to avoid antagonising the United States.
- Analysts described the manoeuvres as testing whether BRICS-related cooperation could extend into security without a formal alliance.