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Nations, including India, had come together in
MILAN 2014 making it the biggest edition since
its inception in 1995. The six day event started
on February 4 with the maritime forces of participating
nations coming closer professionally and culturally;
cementing friendship and building confidence in
interoperability. It was the first time that countries
from the western IOR participated including two
African nations viz Kenya and Tanzania and, island
nations of Mauritius, Maldives and Seychelles.
It was also the first time that Philippines and
Cambodia participated.
The six days of engagement included an International
Seminar on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster
Relief (HADR) with participating Nations like
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Philippines
sharing lessons from their recent first hand experiences
in handling disasters such as cyclones, earthquakes
and Tsunamis. In his keynote address, the Chief
of Naval Staff, Admiral DK Joshi, emphasised the
need for developing capacity and procedures based
on common principles and considerations. He stated
that ‘Rapid Deployment’, Co-ordination,
Logistics and Medical Aid are cardinal considerations
for founding common procedures for HADR operations.
He expressed appreciation for the concerted efforts
to enhance HADR co-operation and training in the
region, such as ADMMPlusHADR exercise hosted by
Brunei in June 2013 and Exercise Komodo, being
hosted by Indonesia, next month, and stated that
this seminar and the Table-Top exercise, being
conducted under the aegis of MILAN would contribute
to these efforts. He also mentioned that work
is in progress towards developing a Standard Operating
Procedure for HADR under the Indian Ocean Naval
Symposium (IONS).The proceedings of the seminar
focused on ‘Maritime Cooperation for Disaster
Preparedness and Response’, ‘Capacity
Building for Coordinated HADR Operations’
and ‘Mechanisms for Sharing of Best Practices’.
A table top exercise on HADR called “Rahat”
was conducted on February 8, in which delegates
from the participating nations/ships were presented
with a topical situation on HADR operations. Delegates
grouped into multinational teams evolved a combined
response to the eventuality and various options
were analysed during the course of the exercise.
This was followed by a discussion on various key
issues like preparedness and response strategies
for maritime forces in those regions prone to
disasters, Logistics management issues, strategies
for HADR kits and supply chain management of relief
stores and regional cooperation between maritime
forces during HADR operations. The exercise was
a milestone step towards enhancing the confidence
levels for cooperating and building the framework
for establishing Standard Operating Procedures
(SOP) for such operations.
MILAN, with its emphasis on building friendship
and understanding between personnel at the tactical
level, also presented ample opportunities for
the sailors to build personal bonds and friendships.
February 9 afternoon saw the Marine Drive in
Port Blair transformed into a colourful and festive
site during the impressive International City
Parade. The local public turned up in massive
numbers and adorned the entire stretch of the
Marine Drive. The colourful International City
Parade showcased the rich heritage of the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands and gave the audience a glimpse
of the Indian culture and the Armed Forces. In
addition to a breathtaking Fly Past by aircraft
of the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the
parade included a mesmerising operational demonstration
of the Indian Navy involving covert operations
by the Marine Commandos and a SAR demo. A spectacular
Sky Diving display by the Akash Ganga Sky Diving
team of the Indian Air Force also enthralled the
audience. The March Past itself had contingents
of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force,
and the Indian Coast Guard, along with military
bands and contingents from the foreign ships participating
in MILAN 2014. The March Past was followed by
a cultural show which included the Nicobar tribal
dance and an Air Warrior rifle drill display followed
by a procession of various tableaus from the Andaman
and Nicobar Command.
Participating nations in MILAN 2014 included
Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia,
Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar,
New Zealand, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore,
Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand.
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