New Delhi, Jun 27: In pursuance of India’s Act East Policy and demonstration of its commitment to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri on Tuesday arrived at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, to participate in the 26th edition of Exercise RIM of PACific (RIMPAC).
Exercise RIMPAC is the largest multilateral naval exercise in the world, and is held biennially in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Indian Naval participation in RIMPAC 18 provides a platform for multilateral operational interactions, aimed at increased interoperability and development of common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations, the Indian Navy said in a statement.
The professional exchanges in harbour and diverse range of activities at sea, including complex surface, sub-surface and air operations would enable sharing of best practices and honing of operational skills.
The Indian Navy’s association with RIMPAC commenced with participation as ‘Observer’ in 2006, 2010 and 2012 editions.
In 2014, Indian Naval involvement was enhanced, with the deployment of INS Sahyadri for the 24th edition of the exercise, it added.
Subsequently, the 25th edition of the exercise was attended by INS Satpura in 2016.
The current edition of the exercise is scheduled off Hawaii from June 27 to August 27 and is likely to be attended by navies of 26 countries.
INS Sahyadri, commanded by Captain Shantanu Jha, is a state-of-the-art, indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate, which is a part of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command.
Prior to arriving for RIMPAC 18, the ship also participated in the 22nd edition of MALABAR 18 exercise in the south-western Pacific region from June 7-16.
RIMPAC exercise: INS Sahyadri arrives at Pearl Harbour in US
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