ANC ready for biggest joint naval exercise in Bay of Bengal

Port Blair, July 17 (UNI) 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 said here today.

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

ANC usually takes part in more than four joint exercises in a year with neighbouring countries to check piracy and arms smuggling in this region.

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

The last exercise of such a magnitude took place in 2005 when the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and INS Viraat participated in the annual bilateral exercise at 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 assigned to monitor and counter terrorist activities in the Bay of Bengal.

UNI