Indian Naval Ship Talwar in Mombasa to Participate in Exercise Cutlass Express 2021

 What is the News?

Indian Naval Ship Talwar is participating in a multinational training Exercise named “Cutlass Express 2021”. It is being conducted along the East Coast of Africa.

About Exercise Cutlass Express:

• Exercise Cutlass Express is an annual maritime exercise, conducted to promote national and regional maritime security in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean.
• The exercise is designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security and increase interoperability between the regional navies.

Participation:

• The 2021 edition of the exercise involves the participation of 12 Eastern African countries, US, UK, India, and various international organizations like International Maritime Organisation(IMO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC), Interpol, European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) and Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO).
• India’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) is also participating in the exercise.

Note: Indian Navy is participating in the exercise in a ‘trainer role’.

Significance of India’s Participation:

• India’s participation in this exercise will further strengthen India’s stated policy towards maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region and vision SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

About INS Talwar:

• INS Talwar is the lead ship of the Talwar-class frigates of the Indian Navy.
• The ship was built in Russia and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2003.

About Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean(CRIMARIO):

• The CRIMARIO Project was launched by the European Union(EU) in 2015.
• The project aims to improve maritime security and safety in the wider Indian Ocean, with a particular focus on selected countries and archipelagos in East Africa.