Exercise Samudra Shakti 2025
UPSC Prelims
Current affairs
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Gajendra Singh Godara
Oct 18, 2025
8
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Samudra Shakti is a bilateral exercise initiated by India and Indonesia in 2018. It is conducted every two years and is aimed towards enhancing collaboration and maritime security. The exercise aligns with India's Act East Policy. It primarily focuses to improve bilateral relationship, cooperative understanding and the capacity to work together in the core functional areas of the navies of the two nations.
The Indian Navy is hosting the fifth edition of Exercise Samudra Shakti 2025 with Indonesia at Visakhapatnam from October 14-17, 2025, strengthening bilateral maritime cooperation and Indo-Pacific security partnerships between the two nations.
2018 – Surabaya, Indonesia: Inaugural edition (12–18 Nov). INS Rana and other Indian ships participated, holding the first Harbour and Sea phases.
2019 – Bay of Bengal: Second edition (6–7 Nov) focused on coordinated patrolling in Indian Ocean waters.
2021 – Sunda Strait (Indonesia): These drills took place from September 20 to 22. They involved the Indian ships INS Shivalik and Kadmatt, along with Indonesian navy corvettes.
2023 – Batam, Indonesia: Fourth edition (14–19 May). INS Kavaratti led the Indian side, alongside Dornier maritime aircraft and helicopters. Indonesia fielded KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda and others.
2025 – Visakhapatnam, India: Fifth edition (14–17 Oct). Hosted by the Eastern Naval Command at Vizag, featuring INS Kavaratti and KRI John Lie. Drills reiterated joint focus on fleet air defence, VBSS and maritime security.
Operational and Military Objectives
Improve Interoperability: The exercise focuses on joint drills. These include Military Interdiction Operations (MIO), anti-submarine warfare, air defense, and replenishment maneuvers.
Skill and Tactics Exchange: Crews practice helicopter operations. They also do Visit–Board–Search–Seizure (VBSS) drills. The schedule includes live weapon firings and cross-deck helicopter landings. These activities build common tactics and build confidence under simulated high-tempo conditions.
Best-Practices Sharing: The exercise provides a platform to share maritime security procedures (e.g. anti-piracy tactics, search-and-rescue protocols), as explicitly noted in official releases.
Strategic and Geopolitical Aims
Deepen Defence Cooperation: By sustaining high-level exercises, India and Indonesia strengthen their bilateral strategic partnership. The drills reaffirm commitments to stability in regional seas, reflecting the nations’ “shared commitment towards peace and stability” in the region.
Regional Order: Samudra Shakti shows support for a rules-based Indo-Pacific. It signals to other nations, including India’s partners, that both navies will work together. They aim to secure sea lines of communication. It supports India’s larger goals of maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean.
Security Challenges: The exercises help both navies deal with non-traditional threats like terrorism, piracy, and trafficking. They practice boarding operations and coordinated patrols in important areas like the Malacca Strait.
Being exposed to different scenarios and having more exercises improves the operational readiness of the Indian Navy’s Samudra Shakti. It assesses the value of tactics and operational doctrine for joint missions in remote areas of the global commons.
Defence Diplomacy: Conducting the exercise further strengthens the India-Indonesia partnership, broadening regional balance. It enhances India’s “security and growth” narrative in the Indo-Pacific by displaying its relevant geo-strategic capabilities.
Regional Security Role: India’s participation in Samudra Shakti exercises abroad signals India’s commitment to the protection of international maritime trade and SAGAR for the region: Security and Growth for All in the Region.
Trust and Interoperability: The joint planning and execution of drills fosters bonds between the officers and the sailors of the different forces. It streamlines real operations by aligning standard operating procedures.
Garuda Shakti: A bilateral army exercise focusing on counter-terrorism and jungle-warfare training. Unlike Samudra Shakti’s naval scope, Garuda Shakti hones infantry tactics in forested terrain.
IND-INDO CORPAT: Joint naval patrols are taking place in the Andaman Sea and Malacca Strait. These patrols involve corvettes and aircraft. Their goal is to stop illegal activities. CORPAT complements Samudra Shakti by ensuring continuous maritime surveillance.
These drills focus on both land and sea areas. Samudra Shakti improves blue-water naval teamwork. Garuda Shakti prepares for ground combat. CORPAT takes care of routine patrols.
Frequently asked question (FAQs)
Samudra Shakti is an important part of India’s maritime diplomacy with Indonesia. With every iteration, we enhance our naval capabilities and reinforce a vital partnership. This partnership is crucial for a trustworthy Indo-Pacific. In the future, we can anticipate more sophisticated exercises (which will include multi-domain warfare) and, possibly, increased multi-national participation. Trust and preparedness will stem from exercises like Samudra Shakti as India and Indonesia continue to face maritime challenges.
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