The Exercise Paschim Lehar is conducted to enhance the cooperation among the different naval commands in the Indian Navy. It involves Indian Army and Indian Air Force as well. Recently, the exercise was conducted in the west coast.

About the exercise

The exercise was held for twenty days. It was conducted to enhance the operational cooperation among Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. The western command of Indian Navy participated in the exercise. The headquarters of the western command is situated in Mumbai. The headquarters of eastern naval command is located in Vishakhapatnam. The headquarters of southern naval command is located in Kochi.

Paschim Lehar 2022

• More than 40 ships and submarines participated in the exercise. Also, the Indian Air Force deployed SU 30 MKI, flight refuelling aircraft and Jaguar maritime strike aircraft. The IAF also deployed unmanned aerial system, dornier aircrafts, P8i, MiG 29K and IL 38 SD.
• After a long time, the air cushion vehicles of Indian Navy participated in the exercise. Also, the air defence batteries were mobilised.
• During the exercise, the forces operated in realistic condition. Also, weapon firings were conducted under different scenarios.

Significance

Many of the Indian Navy ships and submarines participated in the exercise after a long gap. This included the Fast Patrol Vessels and the Offshore Patrol Vessels. All the participating forces learnt to cooperate under realistic conditions. This is important to keep the force operation ready. The exercise mainly focused on the operational plans of the Western Naval Command.

 Western Naval Command

The Western Naval command is the senior most of all the three naval commands. It is responsible for the forces deployed in the western parts of Indian Ocean and Arabian sea. The command is led by a three star flag officer of the rank Admiral. The title of the leading officer is FOC – in – C, that is, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Western Command. Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh is the current FOC – in – C. He took charge in November 2021.

By: Brijesh Kumar