Massive joint services exercise in Andaman sends a strong message to China

A large-scale joint services exercise ‘Kavach’ involving assets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) concluded in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday.

Conducted by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) – the only Joint Forces Command of the country – the joint-military exercise aimed at finetuning joint war-fighting capabilities and standard operating procedures besides enhancing interoperability and operational synergy.

The exercise culminated in showcasing critical skills, including combat beach reconnaissance, combat freefall, beach defences and beaching by Landing Craft Utility (LCUs).

The activities, said ANC, strengthened the forces’ ability to respond effectively to any situation on land and sea, ensuring readiness and operational effectiveness.

The joint forces also carried out multi-domain exercises including amphibious landing, air-landed ops, heliborne ops and rapid insertion of Special Forces.

It showcased a coordinated approach to surveillance, networked and synergized ops and aimed at achieving greater interoperability.

An impressive demonstration of rapid response capabilities in joint manship involving elite Shatrujeet Brigade, Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and ANC troops was also witnessed and complimented by Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The joint forces executed multi-domain, high-intensity offensive and defensive maneuvers in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, carrying out amphibious landing operations, air landed operations, and helicopters-borne insertion of Special Forces from sea culminating in tactical follow-on operations on land.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com earlier, India’s decision to beef up security near Indira Point along the Great Channel, popularly referred to as the ‘Six Degree Channel’, has a message for China which transits a large number of its commercial ships through the region as part of its international trade.

A strong presence of the Armed Forces equips India to discharge better its responsibility of being a net security provider in the region.

Not far from Indira Point is South Bay where India is fast-tracking construction of a world-class trans-shipment hub.

Located on the eastern wing of the Great Nicobar Island, it will string with other mega-sized deepwater transshipment ports – Dubai, Colombo, Klang in Malaysia, and Singapore — along the great east-west shipping route.

The South Bay port’s strategic importance is obvious. It is close to the six-degree channel, an incredibly important global shipping lane, which feeds into the Malacca straits — a major choke point that links the Indian and Pacific oceans. The Malacca Straits is the heartbeat of trade with the Indo-Pacific, the fastest-growing region in the world on either side of the channel.

Also Read: Rajnath’s visit to Andaman and Nicobar Command after Arunachal signals India’s resolve to deter China