Rajnath Singh in “Milan 2026”
VISAKHAPATNAM: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh urged global powers to confront rapidly evolving interlocking maritime risks through cooperation rooted in respect and reciprocity, as India inaugurated the largest-ever multilateral naval exercise, Exercise Milan-2026.“When our ships sail together, when our sailors train together, and when our leaders trade together, we build a common understanding that transcends geography and politics,” he said Thursday.The Defense Minister addressed visiting naval commanders and delegations from nine ASEAN members at the opening ceremony, welcoming participation, which has increased from four foreign navies in 1995 to 74 countries this year.He said the navy now bears a wider burden as global trade increases and competition over checkpoints and canals intensifies. Interest in underwater resources, including rare earth metals, is growing. Cross-border terrorist networks complicate security, while climate change intensifies disasters and pushes humanitarian missions to the forefront. “No single naval force, no matter how capable, can face these challenges alone,” Singh said.
Calling on Asean countries to benefit from India’s expanding defense industrial base, he said the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed India into a “construction navy”. He cited the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and Visakhapatnam-class destroyers as evidence of growing indigenous shipbuilding capacity.Singh traces the Indian maritime view from Sagar to its expanded vision, Mahasagar, suggesting a broader engagement. He supported UNCLOS as a permanent framework and called for a stronger global maritime architecture. He said that India will remain a constant ‘Vishwa Mitra’ in the Indo-Pacific region.
