KARACHI: The Pakistan Navy will organise multinational naval exercise “Aman-17” from February 10-14 in the North Arabian Sea. Navies from 71 countries have been invited to participate.
The exercise, themed “together for peace,” will feature harbour and sea phases where participants will witness a variety of activities including Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, gunnery drills, anti-piracy demonstrations, replenishment at Sea (RAS) and maritime counter-terrorism demonstrations.
It involves ships, aircraft, helicopters, Special Operations Forces (SOFs), Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD), marine teams and observers from regional as well extra-regional navies.
This exercise provides a platform for the navies involved – some of which do not work together very often – to hone their skills and build cooperation and friendship to promote peace and stability.
The joint drill will bring together navies from 12 countries including Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, observers from 31 countries will also attend the event.
The Chinese navy fleet will include the guided-missile destroyer Harbin, guided-missile frigate Handan and the comprehensive supply ship Dongpinghu.
Initiated and organised by Pakistan, the “AMAN” series exercise has been held every other year since 2007, aiming to boost inter-operability and to demonstrate the allied nation’s capabilities to fight terrorism and other maritime threats.
