Exercise Cutlass Express | UPSC

Exercise Cutlass Express | UPSC – Why In The News ?

Recently, Indian Naval Ship Talwar participated in a multinational training exercise Cutlass Express 2021, being conducted along the East Coast of Africa.

About Exercise Cutlass Express :

• The exercise is an annual maritime exercise conducted to promote national and regional maritime security in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean.

Participants Of Excercise :

The 2021 edition of the exercise involves participation of

• 12 Eastern African countries
• US
• UK
• India

Various international organisations Also Took Part : 

• International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• Interpol
• European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR)
• Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO).

Main Objective Of Exercise :

• 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.

India & Excercise Cutlass Express :

• India’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) is also participating in the exercise.
• India’s participation is in accordance with India’s stated policy towards maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region and vision SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

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About Indian Ocean Rim Association:

• It was established in 1997.
• It is a regional forum.

Main Objectives & Aim Of This Association : 

• To seeks to build and expand understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation through a consensus-based, evolutionary and non-intrusive approach.

IORA has 22 member states Includes : 

• Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE, and Yemen.
• Its Secretariat is based in Cyber City, Ebène, Mauritius.

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 Indian Ocean Commission:

• The IOC is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1982
• It comprises five small-island states in the Western Indian Ocean: the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (a French department), and Seychelles.
• India has been accepted as an observer of the IOC.

India Is Not A Member Of Indian Ocean Commission It Is An Observer .

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.

Source : PIB