Fleet of ITS ships to proceed to Southeast Asia for long range training devpt

 Visakhapatnam: The ships of the First Training Squadron (1TS) of the Indian Navy, including INS Tir, Shardul, Sujata and ICGS Sarathi, will be proceeding on a long range training deployment (LRTD) to Southeast Asia.

The deployment is scheduled as part of a training curriculum of the 110th Integrated Officers’ Training Course (IOTC).

In line with it, the squadron is scheduled to undertake port calls at Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. The deployment is aimed at providing comprehensive operational and cross-cultural exposure to officer trainees, while reflecting India’s sustained maritime engagement with South East Asian nations in consonance with India’s Act East Policy and vision for a free, open and inclusive Indian Ocean Region. During these port visits, a wide range of professional interactions, training engagements and cooperative activities are planned with the host navies and maritime agencies. These include structured training exchanges, cross-deck visits, interactions with various subject matter experts and Joint Maritime Partnership exercises. These engagements are designed to further enhance interoperability, mutual trust and understanding, while promoting the exchange of best practices at sea.

The 110th Integrated Officers’ Training Course includes six international officer trainees, epitomising Indian Navy’s continued commitment to capacity building and professional training of personnel from friendly foreign nations.

In addition, personnel from the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are also embarking for the deployment, further strengthening cohesiveness between the services.

The long range training deployment underscores the Indian Navy’s emphasis on training excellence while contributing to maritime diplomacy, goodwill and cooperative approach to regional maritime security.