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Indo-Pacific Monitor
The Indian Navy hosted three major international events in and off Visakhapatnam: The International Review of the Fleet by the President on February 18, Exercise MILAN 2026 from February 19-25, and the 9th IONS Conclave of Chiefs on February 20. 19 warships from 18 countries participated in the Fleet Review, 74 countries participated in Exercise MILAN with 18 warships and three maritime patrol aircraft, and Chiefs of Navies and Heads of Maritime Security Agencies from 33 countries participated in the Conclave of Chiefs. The three events were intended to strengthen maritime partnerships and foster bridges of friendship between participating nations.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Groups took up strike positions in the Gulf of Oman and the Eastern Mediterranean respectively. Talks between Iran and the US continued, as President Trump considered options on a possible strike.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 9th Union Budget on February 01. The budget estimates India’s GDP for 2026-27 as ₹393,00,393 crores (about $ 4.33 trillion), and allocates ₹784,678.28 crores (about $ 86.5 billion), marginally under 2% of the GDP and 14.67% of the Union budget, to the Ministry of Defence.
Elections in Japan on February 08 returned Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s LDP to a 316-seat supermajority in the 465 seat House of Representatives, the first time since WWII that any party has won over two-thirds of the seats. The election victory places Takaichi in a strong political position, though she still lacks a majority in the House of Councilors for which fresh elections are not due till 2028.
In other regional elections, the BNP-led alliance won 212 of the 300 seats in Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections held on February 12. Tarique Rahman was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 17. In Thailand, a snap election on February 08 resulted in Prime Minister Anutin Charnivirakul’s Bhumijaithai Party winning 193 seats in the 500-member house, sufficient to retain power along with its coalition partner Pheu Thai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Malaysia the destination of his first international trip in 2026, visiting Kuala Lumpur on February 07-08 and taking forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. His second international visit during the month was to Israel from February 25-26, where he became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset and upgraded bilateral relations to a special strategic partnership for peace, innovation and prosperity.
A series of international leaders visited India during the month. President Patrick Herminie of The Seychelles made India the first international destination of his presidency from February 5-10. President Macron of France visited India from February 17-19, elevating bilateral relations to a Special Global Strategic Partnership. Leaders from 20 countries attended the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19, which adopted a New Delhi Declaration. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva paid a State Visit to India from February 18-22. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in India on February 27, signalling a reset in bilateral relations.
President Trump urged the UK not to return Diego Garcia to Mauritius, notwithstanding the State Department’s official announcement of support for the Mauritius-UK deal.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Jakarta from February 05-07 to sign the Australia Indonesia Treaty on Common Security.
India’s Coast Guard seized three shadow fleet tankers carrying sanctioned Iranian Crude in the Arabian Sea on February 06. In another action in the Indian Ocean on February 24, the US Navy captured MT Bertha, a shadow fleet tanker carrying sanctioned crude.
As tensions between China and Japan persisted, Japan seized a Chinese fishing boat operating illegally in its EEZ on February 13. An LDP panel called on the Japanese government to ease rules on arms transfers, allowing export of lethal equipment to countries with which Japan has signed defence equipment and technology transfer agreements. China announced on February 24 the restriction of exports to 20 Japanese entities having ties with the defence industry.
An Indonesian military spokesman announced on February 15 that Indonesia was preparing to send troops to Gaza for a peacekeeping mission as part of President Trump’s Board of Peace initiative. Indonesia’s Navy Chief announced on February 12 that Indonesia’s first aircraft carrier, the Italian Guiseppe Garibaldi, was due to arrive in Indonesia before the Indonesian National Armed Forces anniversary in October 2026.
The Indian Navy assumed command of CTF 154 on February 11, charged with training partner navies and improving their operational capability to enhance maritime security in the Middle East.
To read this issue, please click Indo-Pacific Monitor Vol. VII, Issue 2.
