INS Sahyadri will take part in Exercise La Perouse this year.
New Delhi: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) nations’ maritime forces along with the navies of France and the United Kingdom have begun their third edition of the multilateral “Exercise La Perouse” in the Indian Ocean Region from Monday. The Quad comprises the United States, India, Japan, and Australia.
The two-day maritime drill will include the participation of personnel, ships, and integral helicopters of the six countries.
Exercise La Perouse, which is named after the eighteenth century French naval explorer Jean Francois de Galaup, comte de Laperouse, is a biennial exercise conducted by the French navy. Its objective is to enhance maritime domain awareness and optimize the maritime coordination among the participating navies in the Indo-Pacific Region. This enables friendly navies to develop closer links in planning, coordination, and information sharing for seamless joint maritime operations in the region.
Commander Vivek Madhwal, Indian Navy’s PRO, told media that the exercise will witness complex and advanced naval operations including surface warfare, anti-air warfare, air-defence exercises, cross-deck landings, and tactical manoeuvres. He also said that the Navy’s indigenously built guided-missile frigate INS Sahyadri, and the fleet tanker INS Jyoti will be participating in this year’s La Perouse wargame.
Cdr Madhwal said, “Participation of the Indian Navy in the exercise showcases the high levels of synergy, coordination and interoperability between the friendly navies, and their commitment to a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Initiated by the French Navy in 2019, the exercises had included ships from Australia, Japan, and the US. India first participated in 2021, which has completed the full Quad’s representation in the French-led drill.
