SLINEX-26: India and Sri Lanka Hold 13th Bilateral Naval Exercise at Visakhapatnam

India and Sri Lanka are conducting SLINEX-26, the 13th edition of their annual bilateral maritime exercise, at Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 September 2026. The Indian Navy has deployed INS Kavaratti, an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette, and the fleet tanker INS Jyoti, while the Sri Lanka Navy is represented by SLNS Sindurala. The exercise has a harbour phase and a sea phase, and is conducted under the Eastern Naval Command. It advances India's MAHASAGAR maritime vision for the Indian Ocean region.

What Happened

The Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy began the 13th edition of their annual bilateral maritime exercise, SLINEX-26, at Visakhapatnam. India fielded INS Kavaratti, an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette, and the fleet tanker INS Jyoti. Sri Lanka sent SLNS Sindurala. The harbour phase opened with a ceremony and reception on board INS Kavaratti, after which the two navies moved into coordinated drills at sea.

When & Where

The exercise runs from 17 to 21 September 2026 at Visakhapatnam on India's eastern seaboard. Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, which is conducting the harbour phase. The location places the exercise on the Bay of Bengal side of the Indian Ocean, along the sea lanes that connect the Malacca Strait to India's east coast ports.

Who Is Involved

Indian Navy — host service, operating under the Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam.
Sri Lanka Navy — visiting service, represented by the ship SLNS Sindurala.
INS Kavaratti — indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Indian Navy.
INS Jyoti — fleet tanker of the Indian Navy, providing at-sea replenishment capability.
Ministry of Defence — the nodal ministry for all bilateral naval exercises conducted by India.

How It Works

The visiting ship arrives at the host port and the harbour phase begins with an opening ceremony, which sets the professional agenda for the days that follow.
Officers and sailors hold professional interactions and cross-deck visits, so that each navy sees how the other actually operates its equipment and organises its watches.
The two sides exchange best practices in damage control, seamanship and operating procedures, which is the part that produces lasting learning.
Yoga, sports and cultural activities build personal familiarity between crews, because trust between individual sailors is what makes joint operations work under pressure.
The ships then move into the sea phase, where coordinated manoeuvres, communication drills and joint evolutions test whether the shore-based planning actually holds at sea.

Why It Matters

Strategic: Sri Lanka sits astride the main east–west shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, so naval familiarity with Colombo is central to India's maritime security.
Neighbourhood policy: Regular exercises anchor India's position as the first responder and preferred security partner in the region.
Operational: Anti-submarine warfare and replenishment-at-sea skills are directly relevant to rising submarine activity in the Indian Ocean.
Economic: Secure sea lanes protect the trade on which both economies depend.

Historical Background

SLINEX was conceptualised in 2005 and has grown from a limited naval contact programme into a structured annual exercise with distinct harbour and sea phases. Over two decades it has widened from basic seamanship drills to coordinated operations, reflecting the steady growth of the India–Sri Lanka defence relationship. The 2026 edition, the 13th, continues that trajectory by hosting the Sri Lanka Navy at the Eastern Naval Command.

Previous Related Events

India and Sri Lanka also conduct Exercise Mitra Shakti, the bilateral army exercise between the two countries.
India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives conduct trilateral maritime and coast guard cooperation activities in the region.
Sri Lanka is a member of the Colombo Security Conclave, the regional security grouping that India also belongs to.

Static GK Connection

Eastern Naval Command: one of the Indian Navy's operational commands, headquartered at Visakhapatnam; the Western Command is at Mumbai and the Southern Command at Kochi.
MAHASAGAR: Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, India's maritime vision for the Indian Ocean and the wider Global South.
SAGAR: Security and Growth for All in the Region, India's earlier maritime doctrine for the Indian Ocean neighbourhood.
India–Sri Lanka geography: the two countries are separated by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, with Adam's Bridge lying between Rameswaram and Mannar Island.

India & World Comparison

India maintains the densest exercise calendar of any Indian Ocean littoral state, running bilateral naval exercises with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Oman, France, Japan, Russia and the United States, alongside multilateral formats. Most other Indian Ocean navies, including Sri Lanka's, operate far smaller fleets and rely on such partnerships for training access and capacity building, which gives India a structural advantage as a regional security provider.

Future Impact

The exercise concludes on 21 September 2026, after which both navies review lessons for the next edition.
Continued anti-submarine warfare practice supports India's response to growing extra-regional submarine deployments in the Indian Ocean.
Sustained naval engagement strengthens India's Neighbourhood First approach at a time of competing external offers to Colombo.
Deeper interoperability supports faster joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief responses in the Bay of Bengal.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

SLINEX-26 is the 13th edition of the India–Sri Lanka bilateral maritime exercise.
Dates: 17 to 21 September 2026.
Venue: Visakhapatnam, India.
Indian ships: INS Kavaratti and INS Jyoti.
INS Kavaratti is an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette.
INS Jyoti is a fleet tanker.
Sri Lanka Navy ship: SLNS Sindurala.
The exercise has a harbour phase and a sea phase.
The harbour phase was conducted under the Eastern Naval Command.
The opening ceremony was held on board INS Kavaratti.
SLINEX was conceptualised in 2005.
The exercise supports India's MAHASAGAR maritime vision.
MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
Eastern Naval Command is headquartered at Visakhapatnam.
Mitra Shakti is the India–Sri Lanka army exercise.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: India's Maritime Neighbourhood Strategy in the Indian Ocean

Definition: India's maritime neighbourhood strategy is the use of naval presence, exercises, capacity building and infrastructure support to keep the Indian Ocean stable and open.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: Defence and the naval forces are Union subjects; maritime zones are governed by India's maritime zones legislation and by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which India is a party.
Scientific / Economic Principle: Sea lines of communication carry the bulk of global trade by volume, so the security of chokepoints and shipping lanes is an economic, not merely military, question.
Link to this event: SLINEX-26 operationalises this strategy by building working-level familiarity between the Indian and Sri Lankan navies.
Origin & History: SLINEX itself was conceptualised in 2005, at a time when India was expanding structured naval contacts across the region.
Key milestone 1: India articulated the SAGAR doctrine — Security and Growth for All in the Region — as its Indian Ocean framework.
Key milestone 2: India later broadened this into the MAHASAGAR vision, extending the same logic to the wider Global South.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: SAGAR; MAHASAGAR; the Colombo Security Conclave; the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
Nodal Ministry / Body: Ministry of Defence, through Indian Navy Headquarters and the Eastern Naval Command for this exercise.
India-specific relevance: India's peninsular geography and 7,500-km-plus coastline make it the natural security provider in the Indian Ocean.
Global comparison: Extra-regional navies increasingly deploy to the Indian Ocean, which makes resident-power partnerships like SLINEX a way for India to keep regional security regionally anchored.
Data point: SLINEX-26 is the 13th edition of an exercise that began in 2005.
Common exam angle: Examiners ask for the partner country, the host city, the participating ships and the edition number.
Easy memory hook: "SL in SLINEX = Sri Lanka" — the country is inside the exercise name itself.

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. SLINEX is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and which country? [Easy]

A) Bangladesh

B) Sri Lanka

C) Maldives

D) Indonesia

Answer: B

Explanation: SLINEX is the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy.

Q2. SLINEX-26 was hosted at which Indian city? [Easy]

A) Kochi

B) Mumbai

C) Visakhapatnam

D) Port Blair

Answer: C

Explanation: The 2026 edition was conducted at Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 September 2026.

Q3. Which Indian Navy ship in SLINEX-26 is an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette? [Moderate]

A) INS Jyoti

B) INS Vikrant

C) SLNS Sindurala

D) INS Kavaratti

Answer: D

Explanation: INS Kavaratti is the indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette that hosted the opening ceremony of the harbour phase.

Q4. SLINEX-26 was which edition of the exercise? [Moderate]

A) 11th

B) 12th

C) 13th

D) 14th

Answer: C

Explanation: The 2026 exercise at Visakhapatnam was the 13th edition of SLINEX.

Q5. The Sri Lanka Navy ship that participated in SLINEX-26 was: [Moderate]

A) SLNS Sindurala

B) SLNS Sayura

C) SLNS Gajabahu

D) SLNS Samudura

Answer: A

Explanation: SLNS Sindurala represented the Sri Lanka Navy in the 2026 edition of the exercise.

Q6. SLINEX was conceptualised in which year? [Tricky]

A) 2005

B) 2010

C) 2015

D) 1995

Answer: A

Explanation: The exercise was conceptualised in 2005 and has since grown into a structured annual engagement.

Q7. In India's maritime vision, MAHASAGAR stands for: [Tricky]

A) Maritime Advancement and Harmony for Southern Asian Growth and Regional Amity

B) Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions

C) Maritime Highway and Safe Anchorage for Growth Across Regions

D) Mutual Assistance for Harbour, Shipping and Growth Across Regions

Answer: B

Explanation: MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, and SLINEX-26 is aligned with it.

Q8. Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched? [Tricky]

A) SLINEX — India and Sri Lanka navies

B) Mitra Shakti — India and Sri Lanka armies

C) Eastern Naval Command — Visakhapatnam

D) Southern Naval Command — Mumbai

Answer: D

Explanation: The Southern Naval Command is headquartered at Kochi; Mumbai hosts the Western Naval Command.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of which command of the Indian Navy?

A) Western Naval Command

B) Eastern Naval Command

C) Southern Naval Command

D) Andaman and Nicobar Command

Answer: B

Explanation: The Eastern Naval Command is headquartered at Visakhapatnam and conducted the harbour phase of SLINEX-26.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements:

SLINEX-26 was the 13th edition of the exercise.
SLINEX-26 comprised a harbour phase and a sea phase.
SLINEX was conceptualised in 2015.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: B

Explanation: Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong because SLINEX was conceptualised in 2005.

PYQ 3:

Match List I with List II:

List I (Exercise)

SLINEX
JIMEX
Varuna
Malabar

List II (Partner)

A. Sri Lanka

B. Japan

C. France

D. Multilateral exercise including the United States, Japan and Australia

Select the correct answer:

A) 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D

B) 1-B, 2-A, 3-C, 4-D

C) 1-A, 2-C, 3-B, 4-D

D) 1-D, 2-B, 3-C, 4-A

Answer: A

Explanation: SLINEX is with Sri Lanka, JIMEX with Japan, Varuna with France, and Malabar is the multilateral exercise involving India, the United States, Japan and Australia.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): Naval exercises with immediate maritime neighbours are central to India's Indian Ocean strategy. Discuss with reference to SLINEX.

India's security in the Indian Ocean depends less on force levels than on whether neighbouring navies can work with the Indian Navy at short notice, and SLINEX is the instrument that builds exactly that capacity with Sri Lanka.

SLINEX-26, the 13th edition, was held at Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 September 2026 with INS Kavaratti and INS Jyoti on the Indian side and SLNS Sindurala on the Sri Lankan side. Its two-part structure matters: the harbour phase builds professional and personal familiarity through cross-deck visits and the exchange of best practices, while the sea phase tests coordinated manoeuvres in real conditions.

Because Sri Lanka lies across the main east–west shipping lanes, this familiarity translates directly into faster joint responses to search and rescue, disaster relief and maritime crime.

India should now expand such engagement into shared maritime domain awareness, so that cooperation continues between exercise editions rather than only during them.

Question 2 (250 words): Examine India's maritime engagement with its Indian Ocean neighbours and assess how far exercises like SLINEX advance the objectives of the MAHASAGAR vision.

India's maritime engagement with its neighbours has evolved from occasional goodwill visits into a structured architecture of exercises, capacity building, hydrographic assistance and coastal surveillance support. SLINEX, conceptualised in 2005 and now in its 13th edition, is one of the oldest strands of that architecture.

The doctrinal frame has also matured. India first articulated SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region — as its Indian Ocean approach, and later widened it into MAHASAGAR, Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, which extends the same logic of shared security and shared growth to the wider Global South.

SLINEX-26 shows how the doctrine is operationalised. Held at Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 September 2026 under the Eastern Naval Command, it paired INS Kavaratti, an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette, and the fleet tanker INS Jyoti with SLNS Sindurala. The harbour phase built professional familiarity; the sea phase built interoperability. Anti-submarine warfare practice is particularly relevant as extra-regional submarine activity in the Indian Ocean grows.

The limits are equally clear. Exercises build habits, not capabilities; Sri Lanka's fleet remains small, and competing external offers of infrastructure and credit give Colombo alternatives. Regional groupings such as the Colombo Security Conclave still lack enforcement machinery.

The way forward lies in converting episodic exercises into permanent shared maritime domain awareness, joint training pipelines and co-development of small platforms, so that MAHASAGAR is measured in delivered capability rather than in declarations.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse SLINEX with Mitra Shakti. The correct fact is that SLINEX is the India–Sri Lanka naval exercise, while Mitra Shakti is the India–Sri Lanka army exercise.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that INS Jyoti is the anti-submarine warfare corvette in SLINEX-26. The reality is that INS Jyoti is a fleet tanker, and INS Kavaratti is the indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette.
Trap 3: Many students miss that SLINEX-26 was hosted by India, not Sri Lanka. Always remember that the 2026 edition was held at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command, from 17 to 21 September 2026.

SLINEX-26: India and Sri Lanka Hold 13th Bilateral Naval Exercise at Visakhapatnam

What Happened

When & Where

Who Is Involved

Indian Navy — host service, operating under the Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam.
Sri Lanka Navy — visiting service, represented by the ship SLNS Sindurala.
INS Kavaratti — indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Indian Navy.
INS Jyoti — fleet tanker of the Indian Navy, providing at-sea replenishment capability.
Ministry of Defence — the nodal ministry for all bilateral naval exercises conducted by India.

How It Works

The visiting ship arrives at the host port and the harbour phase begins with an opening ceremony, which sets the professional agenda for the days that follow.
Officers and sailors hold professional interactions and cross-deck visits, so that each navy sees how the other actually operates its equipment and organises its watches.
The two sides exchange best practices in damage control, seamanship and operating procedures, which is the part that produces lasting learning.
Yoga, sports and cultural activities build personal familiarity between crews, because trust between individual sailors is what makes joint operations work under pressure.
The ships then move into the sea phase, where coordinated manoeuvres, communication drills and joint evolutions test whether the shore-based planning actually holds at sea.

Why It Matters

Strategic: Sri Lanka sits astride the main east–west shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, so naval familiarity with Colombo is central to India's maritime security.
Neighbourhood policy: Regular exercises anchor India's position as the first responder and preferred security partner in the region.
Operational: Anti-submarine warfare and replenishment-at-sea skills are directly relevant to rising submarine activity in the Indian Ocean.
Economic: Secure sea lanes protect the trade on which both economies depend.

Historical Background

Previous Related Events

India and Sri Lanka also conduct Exercise Mitra Shakti, the bilateral army exercise between the two countries.
India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives conduct trilateral maritime and coast guard cooperation activities in the region.
Sri Lanka is a member of the Colombo Security Conclave, the regional security grouping that India also belongs to.

Static GK Connection

Eastern Naval Command: one of the Indian Navy's operational commands, headquartered at Visakhapatnam; the Western Command is at Mumbai and the Southern Command at Kochi.
MAHASAGAR: Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, India's maritime vision for the Indian Ocean and the wider Global South.
SAGAR: Security and Growth for All in the Region, India's earlier maritime doctrine for the Indian Ocean neighbourhood.
India–Sri Lanka geography: the two countries are separated by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, with Adam's Bridge lying between Rameswaram and Mannar Island.

India & World Comparison

Future Impact

The exercise concludes on 21 September 2026, after which both navies review lessons for the next edition.
Continued anti-submarine warfare practice supports India's response to growing extra-regional submarine deployments in the Indian Ocean.
Sustained naval engagement strengthens India's Neighbourhood First approach at a time of competing external offers to Colombo.
Deeper interoperability supports faster joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief responses in the Bay of Bengal.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

SLINEX-26 is the 13th edition of the India–Sri Lanka bilateral maritime exercise.
Dates: 17 to 21 September 2026.
Venue: Visakhapatnam, India.
Indian ships: INS Kavaratti and INS Jyoti.
INS Kavaratti is an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette.
INS Jyoti is a fleet tanker.
Sri Lanka Navy ship: SLNS Sindurala.
The exercise has a harbour phase and a sea phase.
The harbour phase was conducted under the Eastern Naval Command.
The opening ceremony was held on board INS Kavaratti.
SLINEX was conceptualised in 2005.
The exercise supports India's MAHASAGAR maritime vision.
MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
Eastern Naval Command is headquartered at Visakhapatnam.
Mitra Shakti is the India–Sri Lanka army exercise.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: India's Maritime Neighbourhood Strategy in the Indian Ocean

Definition: India's maritime neighbourhood strategy is the use of naval presence, exercises, capacity building and infrastructure support to keep the Indian Ocean stable and open.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: Defence and the naval forces are Union subjects; maritime zones are governed by India's maritime zones legislation and by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which India is a party.
Scientific / Economic Principle: Sea lines of communication carry the bulk of global trade by volume, so the security of chokepoints and shipping lanes is an economic, not merely military, question.
Link to this event: SLINEX-26 operationalises this strategy by building working-level familiarity between the Indian and Sri Lankan navies.
Origin & History: SLINEX itself was conceptualised in 2005, at a time when India was expanding structured naval contacts across the region.
Key milestone 1: India articulated the SAGAR doctrine — Security and Growth for All in the Region — as its Indian Ocean framework.
Key milestone 2: India later broadened this into the MAHASAGAR vision, extending the same logic to the wider Global South.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: SAGAR; MAHASAGAR; the Colombo Security Conclave; the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
Nodal Ministry / Body: Ministry of Defence, through Indian Navy Headquarters and the Eastern Naval Command for this exercise.
India-specific relevance: India's peninsular geography and 7,500-km-plus coastline make it the natural security provider in the Indian Ocean.
Global comparison: Extra-regional navies increasingly deploy to the Indian Ocean, which makes resident-power partnerships like SLINEX a way for India to keep regional security regionally anchored.
Data point: SLINEX-26 is the 13th edition of an exercise that began in 2005.
Common exam angle: Examiners ask for the partner country, the host city, the participating ships and the edition number.
Easy memory hook: "SL in SLINEX = Sri Lanka" — the country is inside the exercise name itself.

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. SLINEX is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and which country? [Easy]

A) Bangladesh

B) Sri Lanka

C) Maldives

D) Indonesia

Answer: B

Explanation: SLINEX is the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy.

Q2. SLINEX-26 was hosted at which Indian city? [Easy]

A) Kochi

B) Mumbai

C) Visakhapatnam

D) Port Blair

Answer: C

Explanation: The 2026 edition was conducted at Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 September 2026.

Q3. Which Indian Navy ship in SLINEX-26 is an indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette? [Moderate]

A) INS Jyoti

B) INS Vikrant

C) SLNS Sindurala

D) INS Kavaratti

Answer: D

Explanation: INS Kavaratti is the indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette that hosted the opening ceremony of the harbour phase.

Q4. SLINEX-26 was which edition of the exercise? [Moderate]

A) 11th

B) 12th

C) 13th

D) 14th

Answer: C

Explanation: The 2026 exercise at Visakhapatnam was the 13th edition of SLINEX.

Q5. The Sri Lanka Navy ship that participated in SLINEX-26 was: [Moderate]

A) SLNS Sindurala

B) SLNS Sayura

C) SLNS Gajabahu

D) SLNS Samudura

Answer: A

Explanation: SLNS Sindurala represented the Sri Lanka Navy in the 2026 edition of the exercise.

Q6. SLINEX was conceptualised in which year? [Tricky]

A) 2005

B) 2010

C) 2015

D) 1995

Answer: A

Explanation: The exercise was conceptualised in 2005 and has since grown into a structured annual engagement.

Q7. In India's maritime vision, MAHASAGAR stands for: [Tricky]

A) Maritime Advancement and Harmony for Southern Asian Growth and Regional Amity

B) Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions

C) Maritime Highway and Safe Anchorage for Growth Across Regions

D) Mutual Assistance for Harbour, Shipping and Growth Across Regions

Answer: B

Explanation: MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, and SLINEX-26 is aligned with it.

Q8. Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched? [Tricky]

A) SLINEX — India and Sri Lanka navies

B) Mitra Shakti — India and Sri Lanka armies

C) Eastern Naval Command — Visakhapatnam

D) Southern Naval Command — Mumbai

Answer: D

Explanation: The Southern Naval Command is headquartered at Kochi; Mumbai hosts the Western Naval Command.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of which command of the Indian Navy?

A) Western Naval Command

B) Eastern Naval Command

C) Southern Naval Command

D) Andaman and Nicobar Command

Answer: B

Explanation: The Eastern Naval Command is headquartered at Visakhapatnam and conducted the harbour phase of SLINEX-26.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements:

SLINEX-26 was the 13th edition of the exercise.
SLINEX-26 comprised a harbour phase and a sea phase.
SLINEX was conceptualised in 2015.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: B

Explanation: Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong because SLINEX was conceptualised in 2005.

PYQ 3:

Match List I with List II:

List I (Exercise)

SLINEX
JIMEX
Varuna
Malabar

List II (Partner)

A. Sri Lanka

B. Japan

C. France

D. Multilateral exercise including the United States, Japan and Australia

Select the correct answer:

A) 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D

B) 1-B, 2-A, 3-C, 4-D

C) 1-A, 2-C, 3-B, 4-D

D) 1-D, 2-B, 3-C, 4-A

Answer: A

Explanation: SLINEX is with Sri Lanka, JIMEX with Japan, Varuna with France, and Malabar is the multilateral exercise involving India, the United States, Japan and Australia.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): Naval exercises with immediate maritime neighbours are central to India's Indian Ocean strategy. Discuss with reference to SLINEX.

Because Sri Lanka lies across the main east–west shipping lanes, this familiarity translates directly into faster joint responses to search and rescue, disaster relief and maritime crime.

India should now expand such engagement into shared maritime domain awareness, so that cooperation continues between exercise editions rather than only during them.

Question 2 (250 words): Examine India's maritime engagement with its Indian Ocean neighbours and assess how far exercises like SLINEX advance the objectives of the MAHASAGAR vision.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse SLINEX with Mitra Shakti. The correct fact is that SLINEX is the India–Sri Lanka naval exercise, while Mitra Shakti is the India–Sri Lanka army exercise.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that INS Jyoti is the anti-submarine warfare corvette in SLINEX-26. The reality is that INS Jyoti is a fleet tanker, and INS Kavaratti is the indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette.
Trap 3: Many students miss that SLINEX-26 was hosted by India, not Sri Lanka. Always remember that the 2026 edition was held at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command, from 17 to 21 September 2026.