Multilateral naval exercises such as AIME are as much diplomatic tools as military ones. Discuss in the context of India's Act East Policy.

The ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) ended its second edition in the Philippines under the theme "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea". The government officially linked it to India's Act East Policy and MAHASAGAR vision [1]. It shows how naval drills serve diplomacy as much as war-fighting.

Military Dimension: Building Interoperability

• Complex drills: Visit-Board-Search-Seizure (VBSS), underway replenishment, helicopter cross-deck landings and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) test whether navies can operate as one force [1].
• Scale: The first edition, AIME-2023, brought about 1,400 personnel on nine ships into the South China Sea. Seven ASEAN navies took part [3].
• Indigenous platforms: India sent the home-built INS Delhi and INS Satpura with a P-8I aircraft [3]. This showed partners what India's defence industry can build.

Diplomatic Dimension: Act East at Sea

• ASEAN centrality: Engaging ASEAN as a group adds to India's bilateral ties. India itself proposed the second AIME when 2026 was declared the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation [4].
• Signalling through venue: The 2026 edition was held at Subic Bay, Philippines [2]. It followed the first India-Philippines naval exercise in August 2025 [5]. The choice quietly backs freedom of navigation without confrontational language.
• Reassurance: At ADMM-Plus, India's Defence Minister said its stress on UNCLOS and freedom of navigation is "not against any country" [6].
• Soft power: The Harbour Phase included Yoga, sports and community interaction. Together with HADR drills, this presents India as a trusted first responder [1].

Limitations

• Irregular timing: The three-year gap between editions [2][3] lets hard-won interoperability fade.
• ASEAN divisions: Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar were missing from the 2023 participant list [3]. The exercise can only move as fast as its most cautious members.
• Perception risk: China may read the venue rather than the theme, which can make hesitant ASEAN members wary.

AIME therefore combines operational interoperability with confidence-building and gives Act East a maritime face. India and ASEAN should hold it on a fixed cycle, in line with the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Maritime Cooperation (2023) [7]. That would turn one-off goodwill into lasting capability and help build a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific based on trust rather than rivalry.