Joint naval exercise in Bay of Bengal by ANC

Port Blair, Jul 17: Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) here will participate in the biggest naval exercise with the US, Australia, Japan and Singapore, in the Bay of Bengal this September, senior security officials here today said.

''Other Commands of Indian Navy would also participate and we are getting ready for it,''ANC PRO Commander Anil Kumar told sources here today.

ANC usually takes part in more than four joint exercises in a year with neighboring countries to check piracy and gun-running in this region.

Commander Kumar further said ANC would be participating in similar kind of joint exercises till February, 2008. It will during that time host MILAN-2008, the biennial event of the Indian Navy.

The last exercise of such magnitude took place in 2005 when the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and INS Viraat participated in the annual bilateral exercise Malabar.

Later, after the Presidential fleet review last year, the two navies met in Sri Lanka.

The ANC, formed on October 8, 2001, is an operational unified tri-command, which was used to monitor and counter military and terrorist activities in the Bay of Bengal.

UNI