: Sunday, March 29, 2026 3:10 PM
New Delhi. The Indian Navy conducted the IONS Maritime Exercise (IMAX) Table-Top Exercise (TTX) 2026 at the Maritime Warfare Center of the Southern Naval Command, Kochi on 27 March 2026. This high level meeting was attended by representatives of the navies of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), international officers of IOS Sea and officers of the Indian Navy. During this, non-traditional maritime security challenges emerging in the Indian Ocean region were discussed. The countries of Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Timor-Leste participated in this exercise. This diverse multinational representation underscores the shared commitment to foster mutual trust and strengthen cooperative maritime security across the region. With India assuming the Chairmanship of IONS for the 2026-2028 cycle after a gap of sixteen years, IMAX TTX 2026 is an important milestone in strengthening regional maritime leadership. The exercise was conducted in a modern simulation environment, dealing with complex maritime security issues related to the Indian Ocean region. This region is very important for global trade, energy supply and connectivity. The main objective of the exercise was to enable the participating navies to better understand each other’s working style and challenges, strengthen mutual coordination such as information sharing and decision making processes, and to practically test and refine the IONS guidelines.
The exercise practiced different possible scenarios without actual deployment, enabling participants to explore new avenues of professional exchange and deepen mutual trust. IMAX TTX 2026 proves again that IONS is an important platform for constructive dialogue, collective responsibility and cooperation through regionally driven solutions to maritime challenges. The learnings from this exercise are expected to further strengthen the IONS framework, thereby ensuring a coherent, responsive and stable maritime order in the Indian Ocean region.
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