AIME-2026: 2nd ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise at Subic Bay, Philippines

Why in News

The 2nd ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) commenced at Subic Bay, Philippines on September 28, 2026. Indian Naval Ships INS Sahyadri (guided missile frigate) and INS Kulish (missile corvette) are participating alongside naval and maritime forces from all 10 ASEAN member states. The exercise is being conducted under the theme "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea". It is a capstone activity of the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026, declared jointly at the ASEAN-India Summit in 2025.

Background

India and ASEAN share deep maritime connections: the Indo-Pacific — particularly the South China Sea, Malacca Strait, and the Bay of Bengal — is the world's busiest maritime trade corridor. Over 90% of India's trade by volume and 77% by value passes through sea lanes adjacent to ASEAN waters. India's Act East Policy (2014) elevated the Look East Policy and institutionalised maritime security as a pillar of India-ASEAN engagement.

The ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was upgraded at the 19th ASEAN-India Summit (November 2022) — the first such upgrade. Maritime cooperation is one of its five priority areas, along with digital connectivity, sustainable development, health, and education.

The first AIME was held in 2023 off Singapore, marking the debut of a dedicated India-ASEAN maritime exercise series. AIME-2026 is the second edition.

Current Developments

Exercise Structure

AIME-2026 is structured in two phases:

Harbour Phase (September 28–30, 2026): Professional interactions, operational discussions, subject matter expert exchanges, and social engagements at Subic Bay Naval Base.
Sea Phase (October 1–2, 2026): Coordinated maritime operations — surface warfare serials, Search and Rescue (SAR), anti-piracy drills, communication exercises, and passage exercises (PASSEX).

Participating Forces

India: INS Sahyadri (stealth guided-missile frigate, Project 17 class) and INS Kulish (missile corvette). All 10 ASEAN member states deployed naval or coast guard vessels: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Key Facts

Edition: 2nd (first was 2023, Singapore)
Dates: September 28 – October 2, 2026
Location: Subic Bay, Zambales Province, Philippines
Theme: "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea"
India's ships: INS Sahyadri (frigate), INS Kulish (corvette)
Context: Capstone activity of ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026
ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership: Began 1992; elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022

Strategic Significance: Indo-Pacific and South China Sea

Subic Bay's selection as the exercise venue is itself strategically significant. Subic Bay is located in the South China Sea — a hotly contested maritime zone where China asserts expansive territorial claims (the "Nine-Dash Line"), rejected by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling (Philippines v. China). Several ASEAN states (Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei) have overlapping claims with China in this region.

India, as an observer and strategic partner, does not take a territorial position on South China Sea claims but consistently advocates for freedom of navigation and overflight, and the settlement of disputes under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). India is a signatory to UNCLOS (ratified 1995).

Constitutional Provisions

Article 51: DPSP — State shall endeavour to promote international peace and security, maintain just and honourable relations between nations, foster respect for international law and treaty obligations. India's participation in multilateral maritime exercises directly advances this directive.
Article 253: Parliament has power to legislate for implementing any treaty, agreement or convention with any other country or international organisation. India's EEZ and maritime security frameworks derive partly from UNCLOS obligations enacted under this article.

Legal Framework

UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), 1982: The overarching legal framework for ocean governance. Defines territorial sea (12 nm), Contiguous Zone (24 nm), Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nm), and High Seas rights. Freedom of navigation in the High Seas is a foundational UNCLOS principle.
India's Maritime Zones Act, 1976: Domestic legislation giving effect to UNCLOS.
Indian Navy Act, 1957: Governs the composition and operations of the Indian Navy.
SOLAS Convention: Search and Rescue (SAR) operations drilled in AIME-2026 are governed by the IMO SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention.

Institutional Framework

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations): 10-member regional bloc founded August 8, 1967 by Bangkok Declaration. Secretariat in Jakarta.
ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum): Wider security dialogue including India, China, US, EU; platform for maritime security discussions.
ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus): Defence forum with 10 ASEAN + 8 dialogue partners (India, US, China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia); has an Expert Working Group on Maritime Security.
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS): India-initiated multilateral forum for maritime cooperation, founded 2008.
Information Fusion Centre — Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR): Established in Gurugram (2018); India's maritime domain awareness hub — shares real-time shipping data with ASEAN partners.

Economic Dimensions

The Strait of Malacca — the chokepoint between the Indian Ocean and South China Sea — handles over 80,000 vessel transits annually, carrying ~25% of global trade and ~60% of global oil shipments. Piracy, sea robberies, and maritime terrorism in this corridor directly threaten India's energy security. Exercises like AIME-2026 build the coordinated capacity to respond to such threats.

India-ASEAN bilateral trade stood at approximately USD 128 billion in 2025–26 (per recent Economic Ministers' meeting data). The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) is currently undergoing mid-term review; a smooth review enhances trade flows that transit these sea lanes.

Social Dimensions

Maritime security directly impacts the 1.5 million Indian diaspora in ASEAN countries and the safety of merchant seafarers — India is the world's 3rd largest seafarer-supplying nation. SAR exercises in AIME-2026 build the capacity to rescue distressed mariners regardless of nationality, advancing humanitarian maritime cooperation.

International Relations

India's Indo-Pacific strategy: India's IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative), launched at East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok (2019), designates Maritime Security as one of its 7 pillars. AIME-2026 is a direct implementation vehicle of this pillar.
Quad linkage: India's deepening ASEAN maritime partnership complements its Quad engagement (India, US, Japan, Australia), which also prioritises maritime domain awareness and open Indo-Pacific sea lanes.
China factor: China has been conducting increasingly assertive operations in the South China Sea; AIME-2026's location at Subic Bay signals solidarity with Philippines and ASEAN claimant states without explicitly naming China.
2026 as ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation: Multiple activities declared — including AIME-2026, joint coast guard exercises, and maritime security dialogues.

Challenges

South China Sea tensions: China's assertive patrol and island-building activities create friction; ASEAN consensus-based approach limits strong collective response.
ASEAN centrality vs. Indo-Pacific frameworks: Some ASEAN members are wary that India-US-Australia-Japan frameworks (Quad, AUKUS) may bypass ASEAN centrality.
Illegal fishing: IUU (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated) fishing — often by distant-water fleets — depletes fish stocks shared by ASEAN and Indian fishermen.
Piracy: Despite decline in Somali piracy, Southeast Asian piracy (especially in Strait of Malacca and Sulu Sea) remains a live threat requiring coordinated response.

Government Initiatives

SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region): India's maritime doctrine for the Indian Ocean, articulated by PM Modi in 2015, emphasises cooperative security and sustainable Blue Economy.
IFC-IOR, Gurugram: India's maritime domain awareness hub, sharing data with 50+ navies including ASEAN partners.
Project Mausam: MoC/ASI initiative reconnecting India with its Indian Ocean maritime civilisational links — cultural diplomacy counterpart to strategic partnerships.

Way Forward

Institutionalise AIME as an annual exercise — the 2023 and 2026 gap should be reduced to a regular annual or biennial cycle.
Expand the ADMM-Plus Maritime Security Expert Working Group to develop a Code of Conduct for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) applicable across the Indo-Pacific.
The NITI Aayog's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative roadmap recommends establishing a joint India-ASEAN SAR coordination centre in the Andaman Sea — a concrete deliverable for 2027.
Accelerate the AITIGA mid-term review to deepen trade integration and reduce the economic cost of maritime insecurity.

Possible Mains Questions

"India's Act East Policy has acquired a distinctly maritime character in the 2020s." Critically examine with reference to AIME-2026 and India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. (GS-II, 250 words)
How does freedom of navigation in the South China Sea intersect with India's national interests and ASEAN's centrality in the Indo-Pacific order? (GS-II, 150 words)

Possible Prelims MCQs

Q: AIME-2026 was conducted under which theme?
(a) "Partners in Peace" (b) "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea" (c) "Blue Waters, Blue Skies" (d) "Securing the Indo-Pacific"
Answer: (b)
Q: India's SAGAR doctrine stands for:
(a) Strategic Alliance for Growth and Regional Resilience (b) Security and Growth for All in the Region (c) Sustainable Access for Growth and Resource (d) South Asian Governance and Regional Reform
Answer: (b)

Essay Dimensions

The South China Sea: international law vs. power politics in the Indo-Pacific.
ASEAN centrality in a multipolar world: relevance and limits.
India's Act East Policy — from trade to strategic partnership in Southeast Asia.
Maritime piracy and IUU fishing: transnational threats requiring cooperative governance.
The Quad and ASEAN: competition, complementarity, or confusion?

Interview Questions

What is the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and when was it announced?
What is UNCLOS, and what does it say about the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?
What is India's IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative) and its 7 pillars?
What was the significance of the 2016 PCA ruling on South China Sea?
What is IFC-IOR, and how does it support India's maritime diplomacy?

FAQ

What is AIME-2026?: AIME (ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise) 2026 is the second edition of a bilateral multilateral maritime exercise between India and all 10 ASEAN member states. Held at Subic Bay, Philippines (September 28–October 2, 2026), it is the capstone event of the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026.
What is the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026?: Jointly declared at the ASEAN-India Summit (2025), 2026 was designated the Year of Maritime Cooperation to deepen naval collaboration, maritime domain awareness sharing, Blue Economy linkages, and people-to-people maritime connectivity between India and ASEAN.
What is India's SAGAR doctrine?: SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) is India's maritime vision for the Indian Ocean, articulated by PM Narendra Modi in March 2015 in Mauritius. It emphasises India's responsibility as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean, free and open sea lanes, anti-piracy cooperation, and sustainable development of maritime resources.

AIME-2026: Second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise Begins at Subic Bay, Philippines — "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea"

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