Indian Military

NEW DELHI: The Navy is all set to launch another edition of its 'Milan' multi-nation exercise and conclave in the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with warships and delegations from 14 countries of the Asia-Pacific region taking part in it.
The focus during the Milan exercise, being held from February 1 to 6, will be on maritime terrorism, piracy and poaching as well as humanitarian and search and rescue operations and "capacity building", officials said.
The participants include Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius.
"Milan basically is a biennial conglomeration of Asia-Pacific maritime navies, hosted by the Indian Navy, to foster bonds of 'friendship across the seas', boost interoperability and share views on common maritime issues. From four navies in 1995, it has grown to include 14 navies now," said an officer.
An important priority in the Asia-Pacific region is the protection of sea lanes around Malacca Strait since around 60,000 ships sail through it every year, transporting around 30% of the world trade in goods.

WASHINGTON: The United States is selling some military equipment to Bahrain as it walks a fine line between pushing the Sunni monarchy to open talks with the opposition while proceeding cautiously with a strategic ally to counter Iran.
The sale of an undisclosed amount of spare parts and equipment has drawn opposition from some in Congress who argue that it sends the wrong signal about the US commitment to human rights. The State Department said late on Friday that the equipment is for Bahrain's external defense and support for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in the country.
"This isn't a new sale nor are we using a legal loophole," the department said. "The items that we briefed to Congress were notified and cleared by the Hill previously or are not large enough to require congressional notification."
The administration said it is maintaining its "pause on most security assistance for Bahrain pending further progress on reform."
It was almost a year ago that Bahrain's Shiite majority demanded greater rights from the 200-year-old ruling Sunni dynasty.