Indian Navy stealth frigate reaches Japan’s Yokosuka for joint maritime exercise

New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Indian Navy’s indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik arrived at Japan’s Yokosuka to participate in the bilateral Japan–India Maritime Exercise 2024 (JIMEX 24), where both forces will showcase their war-fighting skills at sea, a Defence Ministry statement said on Tuesday. The ship was accorded a warm welcome by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces’ (JMSDF) Yokosuka Commander, Vice Admiral Ito Hiroshi, and Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George. In the exercise, the JMSDF will be represented by guided-missile destroyer JS Yugiri. Integral helicopters from both navies will also participate. The Indian Navy said that the exercise includes both harbour and sea phases. The harbour phase will comprise professional, sports and social interactions, after which the two navies will jointly hone their war-fighting skills at sea and enhance their interoperability through complex multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-surface and air domains. Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, JIMEX 24 provides an opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices and facilitates operational interactions between the Indian Navy and the JMSDF to foster mutual cooperation and reaffirm their shared commitment towards maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. According to the Defence Ministry, it is the eighth edition of the exercise since its inception in 2012. –IANS gcb/vd