Indigenously designed and built guided missile destroyer Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mumbai is participating in the fourth edition of the multinational naval exercise La Perouse in the eastern Indian Ocean, a defence ministry statement said on Saturday.
The 2025 edition of the La Perouse exercise is being headed by France with eight other countries – India, the US, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the UK and Singapore- participating as well.
The exercise aims to develop common situational awareness by enhancing cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance, maritime interdiction operations and air operations, along with the conduct of progressive training and information sharing, the statement said.
La Perouse provides an opportunity for likeminded navies to develop closer links in planning, co-ordination and information sharing for enhanced tactical interoperability, and it will witness complex and advanced multi-domain exercises including surface warfare, anti-air warfare, air-defence, cross deck landings, and tactical manoeuvres, as also the constabulary missions such as *VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure)* operations, the defence ministry emphasised.
Participation of the Indian Navy in the La Perouse exercise showcases the high levels of synergy, co-ordination and inter-operability between the like-minded navies and their commitment to a rules-based international order in the maritime domain, the government said.
This visit is in consonance with India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) to enhance maritime co-operation and collaboration for a safer and secure Indo-Pacific Region.
The first phase of the La Perouse exercise, with a focus on the straits of Malacca and Sunda, got underway on January 16 and will continue till January 20, while the second phase will be held from January 21 to 24 in the Lombok strait.