Context

The sixth edition of joint multi – national maritime exercise between the Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies, is being held at Simons Town, South Africa from 01 – 13 Oct 18.

About

India- Brazil-South Africa Maritime (IBSAMAR)

• Initiated in 2006, IBSAMAR is a trilateral exercise involving participation of ships, submarine, aircrafts and Special Forces from Brazil, Indian and South Africa.
• The first exercise took place in 2008
• The aim of the exercise is to undertake collective training for participating navies, building interoperability and mutual understanding as well as sharing of best practices.
• The Indian Navy is represented in IBSAMAR VI by Guided Missile Frigate Tarkash, Guided Missile Destroyer Kolkata, Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I, Seaking and Chetak helicopters as well as a MARCOS contingent.
• The exercise includes both harbour(False Bay in South Africa) and sea phases (Simon’s town harbour)with various navigation and seamanship evolutions, surface weapons firing, force protection exercises, antipiracy exercise, anti-air and anti-submarine exercise as well as flying operations. Apart from professional activities, sports and social engagements are also planned.

IBSA

• Established in June 2003 through Brasilia Declaration, IBSA is a coordinating mechanism amongst three emerging, multi-ethnic and multicultural countries from three different continents -India, Brazil and South Africa.
• As a south-south grouping, it shares a vision that democracy and development are mutually reinforcing and key to sustainable peace and stability.
• Through IBSA Dialogue Forum, it is determined to:
  1. contribute to the construction of a new international architecture
  2. bring their voice together on global issues
  3. deepen their ties in various areas
  4. south-south cooperation
• IBSA has partnered with developing countries, especially least-developed countries (LDCs) and post-conflict and reconstruction development (PCRD) countries through the IBSA Facility for Hunger and Poverty Alleviation (IBSA Fund) in development projects that will benefit those countries.
• Their status as middle powers, the existence of consolidated industrial areas in the three countries and their common need to address social inequalities within their borders and beyond, are often mentioned as additional elements that add strength to the Forum.

Significance

• The exercise will ameliorate interoperability, mutual understandingand procedures for maritime security operations.

• With sharing of best practices among the countries,maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region and beyondwill benefit.

• Maritime exercises as IBSAMAR show visible convergence of democratic values, economic interests and maritime cooperation.

Learning Aid