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The Anzac Class frigate has wrapped up its participation in the Indo-Pacific exercise, which forms part of the Navy’s first regional presence deployment this year.
HMAS Arunta has concluded its contribution to Exercise Milan 22 — a multinational military exercise involving 16 navies from across the Indo-Pacific, held in the port of Visakhapatnam, India, and in the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian-led exercise aimed to bolster professional interoperability between the like-minded navies, providing personnel with experience operating at sea in a large multilateral force.
The sea phase followed a harbour phase program in Visakhapatnam, which included an opening ceremony, seminars, briefings, technology demonstrations and training activities.
Exercise Milan marked the Royal Australian Navy’s first contribution to a multinational military exercise in 2022, and the force’s latest annual participation in the exercise since its inaugural contribution in 2003.
This year’s theme was ‘Camaraderie, cohesion and collaboration’.
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Michael Noonan thanked the Indian Navy for its organisation of the exercise, noting its importance in building relationships between regional naval leaders.
Commanding Officer Arunta Commander Sam Woolrych welcomed the opportunity to participate.
“HMAS Arunta is very excited to be participating in Exercise Milan 2022. Australia has participated in this exercise since 2003 and this year sees a shift of the exercise to the mainland,” CMDR Woolrych said.
“This shift to the mainland also signifies the changes in our region as our Indo-Pacific navies seek ways to increase our interoperability, get a greater understanding of each other, improve our relationships, make new friendships and, hopefully, hone our skills.
“I wish to thank the Indian Navy for their leadership and pushing our regional navies towards the noble goals of camaraderie, cohesion and collaboration."
HMAS Arunta’s contribution to Exercise Milan forms part of its regional presence deployment, supporting the Australian Defence Force’s international engagement programs, and demonstrating Australia’s commitment to working with regional partners to address shared challenges.
[Related: Exercise Diamond Seas wraps up]
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