Milan 2022 started
The Opening Ceremony of the biennial Multilateral Naval Exercise, MILAN 22 was held at the Naval Auditorium at Visakhapatnam on Saturday, 26 February 2022. The Chief Guest for the event was the Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri, Shri Ajay Bhatt. The event was attended by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, as well as Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Chiefs of Navies, Delegation Heads of participating countries and the Commanding Officers and crew of all participating ships. A Special Day Cover and a movie on the MILAN exercise was released by the Chief Guest to mark the occasion.
The eleventh edition of MILAN is being hosted by the Eastern Naval Command at the City of Destiny, Vishakhapatnam for the first time. All previous editions have been held at Port Blair under the aegis of the Tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Command. The participation from Friendly Foreign Countries includes 13 ships, 39 delegations and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft. This large congregation gives significance and potency to the word ‘MILAN’ which means “meeting” or “confluence” in Hindi.
This edition of MILAN is larger and more complex than all previous ones, reflecting India’s growing stature as a responsible and reliable partner in the maritime domain, underscoring the Indian Navy’s commitment to maritime security across the global commons.
As a part of the harbour phase, a MILAN village has been set up at the Tarang Naval Institute. The village would provide a glimpse of Indian culture to the visitors, showcasing Indian handicrafts, cuisine and arts, especially from the state of Andhra Pradesh. The village will also provide a venue for social interaction and cultural exchange between the participatingnavies.
