20 September 2011

Sri Lanka: SLINEX 2011 begins

The Joint Indo-Sri Lanka Naval Exercise, “SLINEX 2011”, commenced today (19th September 2011) in the seas off Trincomalee. Participating Indian Navy ships arrived in Trincomalee under the command of Rear Admiral HCS Bisht, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) of the Indian Navy.

Rear Admiral Bisht called on the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Director General Operations at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo in the evening and held discussions on the exercise, which is conducted with the participation of 05 SLN ships and 06 FACs and 04 IN ships and 02 FACs assisted by an IN Dornier Maritime Patrol Air Craft (MPA).

The 05-day exercise is held in four phases covering a Harbour Training Programme at Trincomalee and a Sea Training Programme in the seas off the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka. The exercise is structured to give maximum training value to participating SLN and IN personnel with special presentations on Force Protection Measures and Anti-Piracy Operations. Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) including Visit Board Search and Seize (VBSS), Search and Rescue (SAR) Demonstrations and Asymmetric Threat Exercise will also be given focus during the exercise.

This joint Fleet exercise reflects the long ties of goodwill, friendly relations and mutual co-operation that exist between India and Sri Lanka. It is aimed at enhancing interoperability of the two Navies and exchanging professional knowledge. The exercise provides opportunity for both Navies to rehearse the concept of joint naval operations and enhance own skills.