Operation Southern Readiness begins, focusing on addressing non-traditional maritime threats

The need for joint efforts among friendly nations to address emerging “non-traditional threats” was highlighted when “Operation Southern Readiness 26-2”, an international maritime security training exercise, began at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi on Monday (July 20, 2026). Leaders of participating navies emphasized the importance of shared learning in addressing contemporary maritime security challenges.

“Oceans and seas do not divide nations. They unite nations and on many occasions, instability and insecurity on land translates into non-traditional threats in the maritime domain,” said Rear Admiral Deepak Singhal, Senior Staff Officer (Training), Southern Naval Command, who delivered the keynote address at the inauguration. The officer said the four-day event focuses on training personnel from multiple countries to deal with non-traditional threats.

Commodore Dan Thomas, Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), who opened the event, said training has become absolutely critical to everything the force does, now more than ever, amid ongoing regional and global fluidity and upheaval.

Organized by the Southern Naval Command, Operation Southern Readiness 26-2 is being conducted under the auspices of the Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) led by the Indian Navy in collaboration with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The event brought together 254 participants from 26 countries, with the support of 74 facilitators, representatives of four international organizations and experts on the given topic.

The exercise marks the first edition of Operation Southern Readiness to be held in India and marks an important milestone in the growing engagement of the Indian Navy and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). CTF 154, the CMF’s dedicated training task force, is currently commanded by the Indian Navy and focuses on enhancing the capacity, interoperability and professional readiness of CMF partner nations through multinational maritime training. Commodore Milind M. Mokashi, SC, Commander, CTF 154, also addressed the inaugural ceremony.

A session of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which addressed maritime security threats in the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean, was among the highlights of the opening day.

Published – 20 Jul 2026 21:44 IST