India hosts Myanmar's navy for the eighth IMNEX exercise at Visakhapatnam

The navies of India and Myanmar are holding the eighth edition of their bilateral exercise, IMNEX-26, at the Indian port of Visakhapatnam from 10 to 14 November, India's Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday, 11 November. The drill brings a Myanmar warship to India's east coast for five days of training alongside two Indian Navy vessels.

The Myanmar Navy ship UMS King Sin Phyu Shin reached Visakhapatnam on 10 November. It is working with the Indian ships INS Rana and INS Sumedha. An opening ceremony was held on board INS Rana the same day, formally starting the exercise, according to the ministry and the Indian Navy.

The first part of the exercise is a harbour phase. It covers professional meetings between the two crews, subject matter expert exchanges in which specialists brief each other on their methods, visits by sailors to each other's ships, sports fixtures and talks on operational matters.

A sea phase follows. The ministry said it would involve coordinated maritime operations, tactical manoeuvres and other drills meant to improve how the participating ships work together. It did not say where at sea the ships would operate or whether any weapons firings were planned.

New Delhi presented the exercise as a way for the two navies to share professional expertise, build mutual understanding and develop closer operational coordination. The ministry tied it to MAHASAGAR, India's regional maritime policy, whose name stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, and described it as a reflection of a long-standing maritime partnership between the two neighbours.

The Indian Navy also marked the Myanmar ship's arrival with a welcome message on its X account, the ANI news agency reported.

The drill comes during a crowded month for the Indian Navy. Defence Standard noted that it was running at the same time as Sea Vigil-26, a nationwide coastal defence exercise covering India's whole coastline and exclusive economic zone, and that India had already held joint tri-service disaster relief exercises with Myanmar earlier in November. The outlet described the IMNEX series as part of India's wider effort to build working naval partnerships across the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, alongside regional frameworks such as BIMSTEC.

The exercise also has a diplomatic backdrop. On the same day the Indian ministry announced the drill, the Philippines, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, confirmed that Myanmar would be represented at the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila by a foreign ministry director-general rather than by its president or another political leader, Myanmar Now reported. That keeps in place ASEAN restrictions on Myanmar's military leadership that were imposed after the February 2021 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, even though junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has now assumed the presidency.

The Indian statements on IMNEX-26 made no reference to Myanmar's internal politics or to the ASEAN decision. They framed the drill purely in terms of maritime cooperation and a secure and stable regional environment.

The sea phase is due to end on 14 November. The ministry has not yet released any account of what the ships practised once they left harbour.