Pune: Three day BIMSTEC military exercise concludes

THE three-day multilateral and multi-agency exercise of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member countries focusing on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations concluded in Pune on Wednesday.

On the final day, a tabletop exercise was conducted to brainstorm various aspects related to challenges faced in conduct of HADR operations amid a pandemic, and envisaged contingencies and mitigation measures.

Senior officials from BIMSTEC countries, government officials and subject matter experts participated in the exercise. The exercise also involved equipment capability demonstration by Indian industries in tackling pandemic-like situations. The static display highlighted the expertise achieved by India in handling HADR operations ranging from early warning and reconnaissance through Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), satellites, software mapping disaster affected areas and resource management software to establishing command control centres like incident command post (ICP).

It also exhibited the capability of the private Indian defence Industry with a display of over 250 items customised to deal with the common security concerns of South and South East Asia. On the second day, the exercise included a multi-agency disaster response drill that was witnessed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

During the tabletop exercise, various contingencies were discussed by all stakeholders who were divided into syndicates. Each syndicate presented its methodology to conduct joint HADR operations, protocols for operating under pandemic conditions and infusion of technology and available resources to undertake such operations. The experience gained during the seminar and multi-agency exercise was optimally employed during the tabletop exercise. The exercise also provided a platform to share best practices to achieve enhanced preparedness and effective response mechanism. Important lessons on capability development, training and regional pooling of resources were also brought out after these intriguing sessions, authorities said.

The role of the Armed Forces as a skilled force and at times first responders to disaster situations was also discussed during the exercise. It was mutually agreed that protocols must be evolved for military-to-military cooperation to develop regional trans-national response mechanisms.

While addressing participants of the tabletop exercise, Lt Gen JS Nain, GOC-in-C, Southern Command, highlighted the need for a framework, information sharing mechanism and protocols for cooperation among BIMSTEC nations to overcome common challenges of disasters.