Andhra Pradesh: In order to participate in an Exercise called 'Indo-Pacific Endeavour' with the Indian Navy, Royal Australian Navy ships HMAS Adelaide and Anzac arrived in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
According to a press release from the Australian Defense Ministry, Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE), one of Australia's main regional engagement initiatives, will make a record-breaking 14 country-visit this time around as it returns to Southeast Asia and the Northeast Indian Ocean from September to November.
This year countries like India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines will be participating in the exercise.
As per the release, this exercise is being supported by The Australian Defence Force Maritime Task Unit of Royal Australian Navy ships and embarked army personnel.
In addition, the Royal Australian Air Force air mobility aircraft will also be helping with fly-in-fly-out engagements, marking a total composition of 1800 personnel, including five ships and 11 helicopters.
In order to fulfil the goal of the 2016 Defence White Paper to increase Australia's involvement and alliances with regional security forces, IPE was launched in 2017 as an annual programme supervised by the Australian Defence Force.
According to the release, Australia is dedicated to effectively supporting humanitarian and security operations in the region with an aim to advance stability and security in its immediate neighbourhood through involvement on both a bilateral and multilateral level, as well as capacity building.
"I look forward to leading Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022 to make new relationships and strengthen our ties in the region. We plan to learn from our partners all the way from India to Indonesia," Commodore Mal Wise AM, Commander IPE22 said, as per ANI.
He further added, "Regional security is more than a military task. I am pleased that a range of government agencies are contributing to Indo-Pacific Endeavour as we work together to support a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood."
It should be mentioned here that the Australian Defence Force will be in charge of organising the activity, which will include military drills, workshops, training, athletic events, and cultural events.
It will further enhance collaboration in a variety of areas, including gender, peace and security, amphibious operations, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief.
(With inputs from ANI)
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