Indo-indonesian Maritime Exercise Samudra Shakti 2025 Kicks off

The Indo-Indonesian Bilateral Maritime Exercise, Samudra Shakti 2025, is the fifth edition of the exercise and is being hosted at Visakhapatnam in the period between 14 and 17 October 2025. It strengthens maritime collaboration between India and Indonesia, which implies that both nations share the objectives of peace, security, and a stable Indo-Pacific.

Exercise Overview

• Frequency: Biennial
• Indian Asset: INS Kavaratti- Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette.
• Indonesian Asset: KRI John Lie Corvette that has built-in helicopter.
• Headquarters: India, Eastern Naval Command.
• Purpose: To enhance interoperability, reciprocal trust and tactical coordination between the two navies.

Harbour Phase Highlights

• Cross Deck Visits: Personnel sharing to get to know operational capabilities.
• Cultural and physical fitness: Joint Yoga Sessions.
• Sports Fixtures: Competitions between teams: Raise the level of team spirit.
• Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE): Debates of tactics, best practices, and operational doctrines.

Sea Phase Operations

• Helicopter Operations: Improve the coordination of air support operations.
• Air Defence Exercises: Simulate air defences against air attacks.
• Weapon Firing Exercises: Enhance fighting fitness and live-firing skills.
• VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure): Practice of anti-piracy, maritime interdiction and law enforcement.

These exercises are aimed at improving inter-tactical interoperability and joint response.

Strategic Importance

• Strengthens India-Indonesia Strategic Partnership.
• Favors maritime security and freedom of navigation in Indo-Pacific.
• Combats such typical issues as piracy, terrorism, trafficking, and illegal fishing.
• Strengthens the Indian policy of Act East and the Indonesian Global Maritime Fulcrum vision.

Future Prospects

• Looking forward to growth in size and complexity of operations.
• Possibility of multilateral involvement in other regional navies.
• He aspires to enhance a rules based maritime order and to protect important sea lanes.

Samudra Shakti 2025 represents an effective indicator of regional collaboration, which increases the readiness, partnership, and responsibility of maritime stability.