What is the primary goal of the 'MILAN 2025' naval exercise hosted by India?

The correct answer is (B) To promote maritime cooperation among friendly navies
Explanation:
· MILAN is a multilateral naval exercise conducted biennially by the Indian Navy.
· The primary objective of MILAN 2025 is to strengthen maritime cooperation, build interoperability, and enhance professional interactions among friendly foreign navies.
· It serves as a platform where navies from the Indo-Pacific and beyond participate to discuss maritime security challenges, naval operations, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief strategies.
· MILAN fosters confidence-building measures, improves communication between navies, and promotes a rules-based maritime order, aligning with India’s Act East Policy.
· The exercise includes sea-phase drills, harbour activities, seminars, tabletop exercises, and tactical manoeuvres, contributing to shared maritime understanding.
Information Booster:
· MILAN was first held in 1995 at the Andaman & Nicobar Command with only 4 participating nations.
· It has since evolved into one of the largest naval gatherings in the Indo-Pacific, with 40+ countries participating in recent editions.
· From 2022 onward, MILAN shifted to Visakhapatnam, Eastern Naval Command, due to its larger operational capacity.
Key themes in recent MILAN exercises:
· ✔ Maritime domain awareness
· ✔ Anti-submarine warfare
· ✔ Fleet manoeuvres
· ✔ Search and rescue operations
· ✔ Improving operational synergy
Additional Knowledge (Option-wise):
· To launch new defence satellites
· Satellite launches are conducted by ISRO and Defence organizations, not naval exercises.
· To train for desert warfare
· Desert warfare training is conducted by the Indian Army, especially in Rajasthan.
· To build new submarines jointly with France
· India collaborates with France under Project 75 & P75(I), but this is not related to MILAN.