Overview
- The Indian Navy set February 15–25, 2026 for three co-located events in Visakhapatnam, with a Presidential Fleet Review on February 18 featuring INS Vikrant and Kalvari-class submarines.
- Over 55 countries have responded so far, with the United States and Russia confirming ship participation and possible aircraft, and officials cautioning numbers may evolve as final confirmations arrive.
- China, Turkiye and Pakistan were not invited to the International Fleet Review and the Milan exercise, according to Navy officials.
- Exercise Milan will run a harbour phase on February 19–20 followed by a complex sea phase from February 21–25 in the Bay of Bengal, including anti-submarine, air defence and maritime operations.
- The Navy said it monitors every foreign vessel in the Indian Ocean Region under ongoing deployments tied to Operation Sindoor, and separately confirmed a Shivalik-class warship will join the Malabar drill in Guam in November.