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VISAKHAPATNAM, India (NNS)– A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) from Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 concluded their participation in the multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026, Feb. 17-26, 2026.
MILAN 2026 was divided into two parts: a harbor phase for operational planning and professional exchanges, followed by a sea phase where naval forces from participating nations conducted complex maritime operations. The exercise commenced after India’s International Fleet Review (IFR), the first since 2016, which was overseen by the President of India Droupadi Murmu included ships, submarines, aircraft, and personnel from 52 nations. Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, attended IFR to meet with key leaders in India, demonstrating the strength of the India-U.S. partnership.
“Our partnership is grounded by our shared values and strategic interests. When we operate and exercise together in the Indian Ocean like here at MILAN, we strengthen our capabilities which leads to stronger, credible deterrence which maintains peace and security in the region,” said Koehler.
During the sea phase of MILAN, VP-4 conducted anti-submarine warfare drills with other participating naval forces.
The ongoing maritime cooperation between the U.S. and Indian navies, as seen at MILAN, has been reinforced through key exercises. In October 2025, bilateral U.S.-India P-8A flights operated out of Diego Garcia. In November 2025, Indian Navy and U.S. Navy vessels exercised together in the vicinity of Guam as part of exercise MALABAR, a multilateral maritime exercise conducted in partnership with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force.
The inaugural MILAN took place in 1995 with four navies and has taken place every two years since. In its 13th iteration, MILAN 2026 specifically focused on enhancing interaction between professional navies and gaining experience in multilateral large force operations at sea. This is the U.S. Navy’s third participation in the MILAN series. “Milan” in Hindi means "meeting”, and this exercise continues to focus on fostering professional interaction between navies and gaining experience in multilateral large force operations at sea.
VP-4 is assigned to Commander, Task Force 72, the command and control headquarters for MPRA in U.S. 7th Fleet, promoting regional security and enhancement of theater security operations through multilateral engagements and providing reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities.
U.S. 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2026 06:34 |
| Story ID: | 558828 |
| Location: | VISAKHAPATNAM, IN |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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