Friendship across the seas

18 January 2008

Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Patrol Boat HMAS Maitland is taking part in the biennial exercise, MILAN, in Port Blair within the Andaman Islands. This is the first occasion on which the RAN has participated in Exercise MILAN.

The exercise is hosted by India's Joint Military Command, which is located on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

The friendly gathering of participants from up to thirteen regional Navies from across the Asia-Pacific region will help promote a shared understanding of maritime security operations.

Held since 1995, MILAN is an effective forum for discussing common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region. As part of the exercise, a seminar will be held addressing maritime security in the Malacca Straits, one of the world's busiest sea trade lanes.

Other topics for discussion include multilateral disaster relief operations and ecological conservation of the marine environment.

" MILAN 2008 is an excellent opportunity for the RAN to meet with Navies from across the region to address strategic issues in South and South East Asia," said Commander of the Australian Navy Patrol Boat Force Element Group, CAPT Vaughan Rixon, RAN.

CAPT Rixon added, "The Royal Australian Navy looks forward to strengthening our bonds and personal relationships with participating Navies, and I thank India for the invitation to attend."