AMAN-13: PN to lead 30-nation naval exercises today

The aim is to craft joint strategy to secure sea lanes.

KARACHI:

The world’s interconnectivity makes it difficult for nations to single-handedly provide for its security and economic well-being, Commander Pakistan Fleet Rear Admiral Hasham bin Siddique said on Sunday.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Pakistan Navy Headquarters Fleet marking the opening of the fourth multinational naval exercise Aman-13 – set to begin today – the fleet commander said that since the threat of terrorism is multi-faceted in nature and has no definite face therefore it requires joint strategies and responses both at regional and international levels to deal with it.

“AMAN-13 will be instrumental in enhancing tactical and operational readiness amongst its participating navies,” he said.

With over 30 navies participating in the exercise, it is by far the biggest compared to previous exercises the Pakistan Navy (PN) has carried out. It includes 18 ships, 9*SOF/EOD teams and a number of long range maritime patrol aircraft plus ship-borne helicopters.



Rear Admiral Siddique highlighted the concept of the Aman-13 exercise and said that it is designed to provide a common forum for information sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interest between regional actors.

“Pakistan navy, along with other maritime forces of the country, is proactively engaged in maintaining and further improving maritime security and stability in the region as well as checking illegal activities on our coast,” the rear admiral said.

He said the exercise is aimed to develop and practise response tactics, techniques and procedures against asymmetric and traditional threats during the sea phase of the exercise and to promote cultural connection among participating naval powers through depiction of their respective culture.

Rear Admiral Siddique said that the exercise focuses on a display of united resolve to combat terrorism and crimes in the maritime domain, which contribute towards regional peace and stability.

“Apart from its strategic relevance, existing ties between participant navies will the augmented,” Rear Admiral Siddique said.

PN is the first navy of the region to join the Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP) in 2004 formed to check illegal activities in the Indian Ocean and provide safe and secure environment to sea lanes of communication.

So far PN has contributed 45 ships since 2004 and undertaken multitude of maritime security operations. These efforts despite resource constraints have been duly acknowledged and PN has been entrusted with the command of the Task Force-150 for five times since 2004.

Besides joining the international coalition, PN has also taken other initiatives for collaborative maritime security. For this purpose it launched a series of Aman exercises in 2007 which has been a biennial event.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2013.