Overview
- The specialised India–US exercise is underway at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi and runs a five‑day schedule of subject‑matter exchanges, cross‑training, equipment demonstrations and scenario‑based drills.
- Officials describe this as the eighth edition of a long‑running series of salvage and EOD cooperation between the two navies that started in 2005.
- Training focuses on diving, mine clearance, underwater explosive neutralisation and salvage techniques that are critical for clearing harbours and ensuring safe passage for commercial ships.
- The exercise coincides with senior Indian naval outreach in the Indian Ocean, including Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan’s visit to Mauritius, as part of broader capacity‑building and naval diplomacy.
- By improving interoperability and sharing equipment and procedures, the drills aim to speed joint responses to asymmetric threats and could lead to follow‑on training and capacity support for other Indian Ocean states.