In December 2008, the PLA navy began its first deployment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). In the decade since, it has expanded its presence to include a military base in Djibouti, port facilities in Pakistan's Gwadar and Sri Lanka's Hambantota, ensuring a permanent presence in India's backyard. India's response has been to accelerate naval deployment across the IOR and increase engagement with littoral countries. As another edition of the biennial naval congregation MILAN, held under the aegis of the Indian navy, gets under way on March 6, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba tells Executive Editor Sandeep Unnithan why the PLA deployments don't worry him. Nor the boycott of MILAN by Maldives, which has been cosying up to China and has lately been welcoming of a Chinese presence in its territorial waters.

Q: Is the presence of PLA navy ships in the IOR, traditionally India's backyard, a cause for concern?

A: There is no cause for concern. This is a standard deployment of PLA navy ships-anti-piracy patrols-in the Indian Ocean. The deployment is in keeping with what we've observed in the past couple of years; there is no change in terms of ships, submarines or survey vessels. At any time, there are six to eight ships in the Indian Ocean. At any rate, we monitor their presence.

Q: How does MILAN 2018 dovetail into GoI's Act East policy?

A: The Act East policy has reinvigorated India's ties with the Southeast Asian neighbourhood. The quality and depth of India's engagements in this region impinge on the prospects of long-term stability across the Indo-Pacific region. Through MILAN, the Indian navy aims to provide a platform to facilitate interactions among regional navies across the Indo-Pacific region. Such interactions gradually accrue the benefits of achieving a shared understanding of maritime security environment and enhanced interoperability. The idea and aims of MILAN are complementary to the aims of the Act East policy.

Q: Has the Indian navy felt the need for wider participation of countries in MILAN?

A: We initiated MILAN in 1995 with just four participating navies. The intensity of maritime challenges in the larger Indo-Pacific maritime space has risen over the past two decades. Universal dependence on the maritime medium for sustaining economic growth puts severe demands on all maritime security agencies in this region. The maritime challenges of today will be better tackled if all regional stakeholders shoulder this responsibility collectively. Since MILAN was envisaged as an event that could facilitate professional interaction on these issues, the participation gradually increased. We were proud to host 16 countries during MILAN 2014. This year, we have extended invites to 23 countries.

Q: How has the MILAN exercise changed over the years?

A: This edition of MILAN focuses on operational issues more extensively than previous editions. During the multilateral MILAN Exercise at Sea (MILES 18) between March 11 and 13, participants will get an opportunity to work together on various maritime security scenarios and will enhance their interoperability.

Q: What is the larger vision for MILAN 2020? Will the exercise see cross-posting of personnel?

A: We would like to build upon the experience gained in MILAN 18. Further expansion in participation and scaling up the scope and complexity of exercises at sea will be beneficial for all participants.