Port Blair, Dec. 27: A day after the tsunami anniversary, the Indian armed forces are gearing up for one of the biggest military exercises in the Bay of Bengal.

Other than Australia and New Zealand, all naval powers of the region, including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, will participate in the show of might from January 9 to 14. Fleets from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Philippines will also take part.

Dubbed Milan 2006, the exercise is seen as an important event for the Indian armed forces, especially after the damage caused to the strategic forward operating bases in the area.

“There are various objectives of the programme, including a joint patrolling near Malacca Strait, but this event will be the right opportunity to tell the world how we are prepared for any eventuality. Our defence installations are in perfect order in the region,” Commodore Arun Kumar Julka, the naval component commander of the Andaman and Nicobar unified command told The Telegraph.

The first unified command of the country was commissioned on the emerald isles in October 2001, comprising all the three wings of the armed forces ? the air force, navy and the army ? and the coast guard.

The two airbases in the region, one at Car Nicobar and the other at Campbell Bay, were considered the two most secret military operational bases of the country until the tsunami exposed the intricacies of the bases to the world.

However, all the operating bases in the Union territory have been restored. The three wings of the Indian armed forces will participate in Milan 2006, though it is essentially a naval exercise.

On Monday, the three service chiefs ? Admiral Arun Prakash, General J.J. Singh and Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi ? discussed the strategic importance of Milan 2006. Later, Admiral Prakash inaugurated a special cell in Port Blair to coordinate the exercise.

A high-level meeting to work out the finer details of Milan will be held tomorrow at the command headquarters in Port Blair.

Apart from the mock war exercises in the high seas, the senior officials of all participating countries will discuss issues such as patrolling near Malacca Strait, where the frequency of ship hijackings has increased. In 2004 alone, 37 hijackings were reported from this region.

“More than 50,000 ships pass through Malacca Strait, which is 600 nautical miles wide (1 nautical mile = 1.8 km) and protecting the area from pirates and gunrunners is our job,” Julka said.

Disaster management will also be discussed at length during the event.

The exercise assumes significance, especially since all the naval powers of the region are strengthening their presence and concentrating on improving airbases.