Exercise Konkan 16, the 2016 edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy is being conducted at Mumbai and Goa.
It would be held from 05 December to 16 December 2016 in two phases.
About Exercise Konkan 16:
- Exercise KONKAN is named after the Western coastal region of India.
- Started in 2004, the exercise is hosted alternatively by both the Navies.
- The first phase of the current edition will be held from 05 December to 09 December at Mumbai. It would be a Command Planning exercise, where both sides will undertake planning for combined maritime operations.
- The second phase is a LIVE EXERCISE (LIVEX), to be held from 12 December to 16 December at Goa, which involves interaction between the Indian Marine Commandos (MARCOs) and the Royal Marines.
- Both phases will involve sharing of best practices and lessons learnt from recent operations, especially in the field of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO).
Conclusion:
KONKAN 16 will be an important chapter in the maritime interactions under the aegis of KONKAN series as it will familiarise both forces with each other’s planning processes and further enhance synergy and interoperability. In addition, the participation of Indian MARCOs and Royal Marines would add another dimension to this exercise and provide valuable opportunity for both navies to interact and cooperate in the field of Maritime Security Operations.
