India Hosts First-Ever ‘Operation Southern Readiness’ In Kochi, 26 Nations Join Maritime Exercise

For the first time, Operation Southern Readiness is being held in India’s Kochi, hosted by the Southern Naval Command, under the aegis of the Indian Navy-led Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) along with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

It is a 4-day multinational maritime security training exercise which began on Monday and saw 254 participants from 26 nations.

The training is supported by 74 facilitators, 4 international organisations and several subject matter experts.

CTF 154, CMF’s dedicated Training Task Force, is commanded by the Indian Navy and focuses on strengthening interoperability and combat readiness among CMF partner countries through joint training.

Commodore Milind M Mokashi, Commander, CTF 154, spoke in the opening ceremony of the naval exercise, followed by Commodore Dan Thomas, Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces and Rear Admiral Deepak Singhal, Chief Staff Officer (Training), Headquarters Southern Naval Command.

On the first day of the exercise, participants learnt about ship management and received special security training.

They also attended a session by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on maritime security threats in the Red Sea and the Western Indian Ocean.

They were trained in ship handling practices, astro navigation, damage control, firefighting, distress communications, and simulator-based training infrastructure.

The other three days will focus on simulator-based training and practical activities, professional sessions and contemporary maritime security training.