The 19th instalment of the bilateral naval exercise between India and France, ‘VARUNA-2021’, is currently being conducted in the Arabian Sea. This follows the Indian Navy’s maiden participation earlier this year in the France-led naval exercise “La Pérouse”, which also involved the navies of the United States, Australia, and Japan.
About VARUNA Naval Exercise
The Indian and French Navies have a longstanding tradition of conducting bilateral maritime exercises, a practice that began in 1993. Since 2001, these exercises have taken on the name ‘VARUNA’. These joint operations underscore the shared values between the two partner navies, particularly their commitment to ensuring freedom of the seas, advocating for an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific, and upholding a rules-based international order.
The 2021 Exercise: An Important First
The current edition of the VARUNA exercise marks the first time that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has participated. The joint exercise forms part of the larger ‘CLEMENCEAU 21’ deployment being carried out by the French Navy in the eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf, and the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea. The goal of the ‘CLEMENCEAU 21’ deployment is twofold: it aims to contribute to the stabilization of these strategic zones and enhance cooperation with the navies of partner countries – most notably with India when it comes to the Indian Ocean component.
Anti-ISIS Operations
Within this wider deployment, the Carrier Strike Group is also actively taking part in operations against ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). This includes high tempo-naval operations at sea. Advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises, tactical manoeuvres, underway replenishment, and other maritime security operations are all on the docket as part of this exercise.
Other Indo-French Joint Exercises
In addition to VARUNA, the Indian and French forces have a history of conducting joint exercises across various spheres. These include Desert Knight-21 (Air exercise), Shakti (Army exercise), and the aforementioned VARUNA (Naval exercise).
India’s Other Bilateral Maritime Exercises
India conducts several other bilateral maritime exercises with different countries. This includes exercises such as SLINEX with Sri Lanka, Bongosagar and IN-BN CORPAT with Bangladesh, JIMEX with Japan, Naseem-Al-Bahr with Oman, Indra with Russia, Za’ir-Al-Bahr with Qatar, Samudra Shakti with Indonesia, Indo-Thai CORPAT with Thailand, IMCOR with Malaysia, SIMBEX with Singapore, and AUSINDEX with Australia.
