Call for maritime collaboration gains strength as Operation Southern Readiness begins

The need for collaborative efforts among friendly nations to address emerging “non-traditional threats” was stressed as ‘Operation Southern Readiness 26-2’, a multinational maritime security training engagement, got under way at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi on Monday (July 20, 2026). Leaders of the participating naval forces underscored the importance of shared learning in tackling contemporary maritime security challenges.

“The oceans and the seas do not divide nations. They connect nations, and on many occasions, instabilities and insecurities on land translate into non-traditional threats in the maritime domain,” Rear Admiral Deepak Singhal, Chief Staff Officer (Training), Headquarters Southern Naval Command, who delivered the keynote address at the inauguration, said. The officer said the four-day event focusses on training personnel from multiple countries to address non-traditional threats.

Commodore Dan Thomas, Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), who inaugurated the event, said training has become absolutely fundamental to all that the forces do, now more than ever, amid the ongoing regional and global fluidity and upheavals.

Hosted by the Southern Naval Command, Operation Southern Readiness 26-2 is being conducted under the aegis of the Indian Navy-led Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154), in partnership with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The event has brought together 254 participants from 26 countries, supported by 74 facilitators, representatives of four international organisations, and subject experts.

The exercise marks the first edition of Operation Southern Readiness to be held in India and represents an important milestone in the growing engagement between the Indian Navy and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). CTF 154, the CMF’s dedicated Training Task Force, is currently commanded by the Indian Navy and focuses on strengthening 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 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which addressed maritime security threats in the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean, was among the highlights of the opening day.