INS Mysore concludes fourth Samudra Laksamana exercise with Royal Malaysian Navy
Indian and Malaysian naval personnel during Exercise Samudra Laksamana. Image courtesy: pib.gov.in
New Delhi: Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mysore has concluded the fourth edition of exercise Samudra Laksamana with the Royal Malaysian Navy at Lumut, Malaysia, after an exercise conducted from September 9 to 12. The bilateral engagement combined professional exchanges in harbour with operations at sea aimed at improving interoperability and coordination between the two navies.
During the sea phase, INS Mysore operated with Malaysian navy ships KD Lekir and KD Gagah Samudera. Working together at sea allows crews to practise coordination, communications and operating procedures in a common environment, helping the two navies function more effectively during future bilateral engagements.
The harbour phase involved professional interactions and exchanges between Indian and Malaysian naval personnel. The defence ministry had said at the start of the deployment that the programme included cross-deck visits, operational interactions and sporting engagements, providing crews an opportunity to exchange professional experience and develop greater familiarity with each other’s procedures.
As RNA Media reported earlier, INS Mysore arrived at Lumut on Wednesday as part of the Indian Navy’s operational deployment for the fourth edition of Samudra Laksamana. The deployment continued a series of service-to-service engagements between India and Malaysia, with the bilateral exercise providing the operational component of a wider defence relationship that also includes institutional dialogue, training and military exchanges.
The exercise followed the 12th India-Malaysia subcommittee meeting on military cooperation, held in New Delhi on July 1. The meeting was co-chaired by the defence ministry joint secretary, Amitabh Prasad, and the Malaysian Armed forces assistant chief of staff for defence operations and training, Major General Amer Mahmud Bin Abdul Rahman.
The two sides reviewed military exchanges, bilateral exercises, training, staff talks, capacity building, maritime cooperation and cooperation in emerging domains. They also discussed defence industry, defence technology, cyber security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The mechanism is the principal military-to-military consultative forum between the two countries and precedes the India-Malaysia Defence Cooperation Meeting at defence-secretary level.
Broader defence engagement
The naval exercise also coincided with continued political engagement between the two countries. On Saturday, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, met the Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. As RNA Media reported, their discussions covered semiconductors, critical minerals, clean energy, infrastructure and talent mobility, alongside an expanding defence partnership and growing two-way investments.
India and Malaysia elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in August 2024 and reaffirmed that framework during Modi’s visit to Malaysia in February this year. Regular naval exercises and professional exchanges form one practical part of that relationship, with Samudra Laksamana focused on improving the ability of the Indian Navy and Malaysian navy to operate together at sea.
