18-02-2021 | 15:42 PM
TROPEX-21
Context
The largest war game of Indian Navy "Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise" (TROPEX 21) that started in early January will culminate in the third week of February.
Key Highlights
TROPEX started as an annual event from 2005 but from 2015 onwards, it is being conducted once in two years.
It is Indian Navy’s largest war game with participation of all operational units of Indian Navy including ships, submarines, aircraft along with the units of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard.
TROPEX being conducted over a vast geographical expanse in the Indian Ocean Region including its adjunct waters.
It is aimed at testing combat readiness of the Navy in a complex multi-dimensional scenario set in the context of the current geo strategic environment.
The theme for TROPEX-21 is “Combat Ready, Credible and Cohesive force”.
The month-long drill will witness distinct phases that will also test the Navy’s transition from peacetime to hostilities.
In the first phase, the Indian Navy had conducted coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ along the entire coastline and Island territories of India.
Exercise Sea Vigil was followed by a large-scale Tri-Service joint amphibious exercise AMPHEX-21, which was conducted in the Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands.
The latest phase was the ‘Weapon Workup Phase’ which saw multiple ‘on-target’ ordnance deliveries including missiles, torpedoes and rockets from frontline warships, aircraft and submarines. It demonstrated the lethal firepower of the Indian Navy and reaffirmed the Navy’s capability to carry out long range maritime strikes in the Indian Ocean Region.
Conduct of TROPEX is being overseen by Naval Headquarters with participation from all three Commands of the Indian Navy (Eastern, Western and Southern Naval Command) and the only Tri-Service theatre command of the Indian Armed Forces located at Port Blair.
Objectives
The Theatre Level Operational Readiness exercise aims to validate the Navy's offensive-defence capabilities, safeguard national interests in the maritime domain and promote stability and peace in the Indian Ocean Region.
This exercise aimed to validate the coastal defence setup of the country, which was entirely revamped after the 26/11 Terror attacks at Mumbai.
This exercise also aims at testing combat readiness of the Navy in a complex multi-dimensional scenario set in the context of the current geo strategic environment.
