India Hosts First BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise

India is hosting the first-ever joint maritime security exercise of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 30 October to 3 November 2026. Inaugurated on 30 October, the exercise brings together the navies and coast guards of all seven member states.

Exercise phases and participation

The programme comprises three days of tabletop exercises followed by a two-day harbour phase. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand have sent naval assets, while Bhutan and Nepal are represented. Participating ships include Sri Lanka’s SLNS Gajabahu and Myanmar’s UMS King Aung Zeya. The Andaman and Nicobar Command is facilitating the exercise.

The exercise aims to strengthen maritime cooperation, operational coordination and interoperability, and improve maritime domain awareness in the Bay of Bengal. Its activities also cover humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, responses to cross-border maritime crime and marine pollution, supporting the stated objective of a safe, secure and stable maritime environment.

Regional cooperation

The exercise was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand. In April 2026, BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey confirmed that the first joint maritime security exercise would take place in November 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• Joint and combined terminology: In exercise terminology, forces from multiple nations training together conduct a combined or coalition exercise; a joint exercise involves different armed forces of one nation.
• Exercises and war games: A key distinction is that military exercises involve actual military forces in the simulation, whereas war games do not.
• BIMSTEC secretariat: BIMSTEC established its permanent secretariat in Dhaka in 2014, providing an institutional hub distinct from its rotating summit host locations.
• Cross-regional membership: Its seven members comprise five South Asian countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka—and two Southeast Asian countries, Myanmar and Thailand.