What is India–Indonesia Coordinated Patrol Which Was Held Later in May?

The India-Indonesia Co-Ordinated Patrol (CORPAT) was conducted from 24 – 02 June 2018 at Port Blair.

Participants

Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Sultan Thaha Syaifuddin (376) and Indonesian Maritime Patrol Aircraft arrived at Port Blair for the opening ceremony.

Indian Naval Ship Kulish and Indian Naval Maritime Patrol Aircraft Dornier participated in the exercise from India’s Andaman and Nicobar Command. INS Kulish was commanded by Commander Deepak Bali.

The Indian delegation was led by senior officer from Indian Navy, Commodore Ashutosh Ridhorkar, Naval Component Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Command.

History

The Indian Navy and Indonesian Navy have been carrying out coordinated patrols (CORPAT) twice a year since 2002. The CORPAT is also accompanied by a bilateral exercise at sea.

The 31st edition of the IND-INDO CORPAT commenced on 23^rd May 2018 till 2^nd June 2018. The closing ceremony was held between 2^nd June to 9^th June.

The Importance

Indian Naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times to address the main maritime concerns of the region as part of the Indian Government’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

This deployment contributed towards the Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate inter-operability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the seas.

Activities

On completion of the Opening Ceremony, the ships and patrol aircraft of the two countries departed Port Blair and undertook patrolling on the respective sides of the 236 nautical mile long International Maritime Boundary Line.

During the stay in harbour, various activities such as official calls, formal reception on board ship, sporting fixture, ship open to visitors and professional interaction between naval personnel of both the nations have been planned.

Future Prospects

The bilateral exercise with Indonesia was held after the conclusion of the Malabar trilateral naval war games between India, Japan and the U.S. Interestingly, two of the ships participating in Malabar will head to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world’s largest multilateral exercise, hosted by the U.S. biennially off the Hawaii islands.

Conclusion

The visit of the Indian Naval Ship underscored India’s peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain and to strengthen existing bonds between India and Indonesia.