IMEX 2026 Table-Top Exercise Held at Kochi Under IONS
Why in the news
India’s navy ran a simulated multinational drill for Indian Ocean navies in Kochi, with India again heading the IONS grouping.
Key facts
- Host: Indian Navy, at the Maritime Warfare Centre in Kochi.
- Format: a table-top exercise built on war-gaming, so no ships were sent to sea.
- Benefit of the format: complex, multi-scenario situations can be tested without deployment costs or logistics.
- Participants: France, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Tanzania.
- Focus: information-sharing problems, usually the toughest part of multinational maritime coordination.
About IONS and related terms
- IONS: started by India in 2008 as a voluntary forum to deepen maritime cooperation among navies of Indian Ocean littoral states.
- Table-top exercise (TTX): a discussion-based simulation where personnel gather in a classroom-like setting and talk through their roles in a given scenario.
- Net security provider: a country that leads in regional stability, HADR and protecting global commons; India is described this way.
Exam angle
- Venue: Maritime Warfare Centre, Kochi.
- Grouping: IONS, launched 2008 by India.
- Format: simulation or war-game, not a live-fire drill.