20 January 2026·PIB

INDIAN NAVY’S FIRST TRAINING SQUADRON MAKES PORT CALL AT BELAWAN, INDONESIA

In this note

1. At a Glance

First Training Squadron (1TS) of the Indian Navy made a port call at Belawan, Indonesia on 20 Jan 2026 during a Long Range Training Deployment to Southeast Asia [1][2].
Constituents: INS Tir, INS Shardul, INS Sujata and ICGS Sarathi — ships dedicated to officer-cadet sea training [1].
Relevant for UPSC under Act East Policy, SAGAR/MAHASAGAR vision, India-ASEAN maritime diplomacy and naval defence cooperation [3].

1TS arrived at Belawan (Sumatra), Indonesia on 20 Jan 2026 and was given a ceremonial welcome by the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL); programme included cross-deck visits, joint training, yoga, sports and community outreach [1].
Part of the 110th Integrated Officers' Training Course deployment covering Singapore (15 Jan 26), Indonesia (20 Jan 26) and Thailand (25–28 Jan 26) [2][4].

First Training Squadron is based at Kochi under Southern Naval Command, the Navy's training hub; conducts sea training for cadets of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign navies [2].
Long Range Training Deployments (LRTD) are a recurring feature — earlier 1TS port calls include Mombasa, Kenya (2025), Singapore (Jan 2025 & Jan 2026), Colombo (2021) [2].
India-Indonesia naval engagement institutionalised via IND-INDO CORPAT (since 2002, biannual coordinated patrol on the IMBL) and Exercise Samudra Shakti (since 2018) [3].

Squadron name: First Training Squadron (1TS), Indian Navy [1].
Ships: INS Tir (lead, training ship), INS Shardul (LST), INS Sujata (offshore patrol vessel), ICGS Sarathi (OPV of Indian Coast Guard) [1].
Port: Belawan, North Sumatra, Indonesia — Indonesia's principal port on the Malacca Strait [1].
Date: 20 January 2026 [1].
Course: 110th Integrated Officers' Training Course trainees on board [2].
Implementing body: Indian Navy, Ministry of Defence [1].
Policy umbrella: Act East Policy; SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) [3].

Geopolitical / Strategic

Belawan sits astride the Malacca Strait, a critical SLOC carrying ~80% of China's oil imports — Indian naval presence signals interest in chokepoint security [1].
Reinforces India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (upgraded 2018); Indonesia is a key ASEAN partner under Indo-Pacific outlook [3].
Complements Exercise Samudra Shakti (5th edition, Visakhapatnam, 14–17 Oct 2025) with INS Kavaratti and KRI John Lie [3].

Diplomatic / Soft Power

Cultural diplomacy: traditional dance reception, joint yoga, school visits, sports — leverages cultural affinity (Ramayana, Bali Hindu heritage) [1].

Administrative / Training

Provides cadets cross-cultural exposure, navigation in tropical waters, and interoperability drills with TNI-AL [2].

Economic

Belawan handles palm oil and container traffic; secure SLOCs around it underpin India's energy and trade flows with Far East [1].

20 Jan 2026 — 1TS at Belawan, Indonesia [1].
15 Jan 2026 — 1TS arrives Changi Naval Base, Singapore [2].
25–28 Jan 2026 — 1TS at Phuket Deep Sea Port, Thailand; concluded with Passage Exercise (PASSEX) on 28 Jan 26 [2].
14–17 Oct 2025 — Samudra Shakti-2025 (5th edition) hosted at Visakhapatnam with Indonesian Navy [3].
2025 — 1TS port call at Mombasa, Kenya [2].

1TS comprises INS Tir (lead training ship), INS Shardul, INS Sujata + ICGS Sarathi [1].
First Training Squadron is headquartered at Kochi under Southern Naval Command [2].
Belawan port is located in North Sumatra, Indonesia, near the Malacca Strait [1].
Trainees on board: 110th Integrated Officers' Training Course [2].
Exercise Samudra Shakti is the India-Indonesia bilateral naval exercise, conceived in 2018 under Act East Policy [3].
5th edition of Samudra Shakti held at Visakhapatnam, 14–17 Oct 2025; Indian ship INS Kavaratti (ASW Corvette), Indonesian ship KRI John Lie (Corvette) [3].
IND-INDO CORPAT is the India-Indonesia coordinated patrol along the International Maritime Boundary Line (since 2002) [3].
ICGS Sarathi belongs to the Indian Coast Guard, not the Navy — under Ministry of Defence since 1978 [1].
INS Shardul is a Landing Ship Tank (Large) class vessel [1].
1TS Southeast Asia deployment 2026 covered three ports: Singapore → Belawan → Phuket [2].
Phuket visit concluded with a PASSEX with Royal Thai Navy on 28 Jan 2026 [2].

GS-II: India and its neighbourhood; bilateral relations with Indonesia; ASEAN; India's Act East Policy.
GS-III: Security — Indian Ocean security, SLOCs, role of the Navy.

Plausible stems:

"Naval diplomacy has become the cutting edge of India's Act East Policy. Discuss with reference to recent India-Indonesia engagements." (GS-II)
"Examine the strategic significance of the Malacca Strait for India and the steps taken to secure its interests." (GS-III)
"Training deployments of the Indian Navy serve diplomatic as well as operational ends. Elaborate." (GS-III)

Exercise Samudra Shakti — flagship bilateral with Indonesia [3].
IND-INDO CORPAT — coordinated patrol regime on IMBL.
SAGAR / MAHASAGAR doctrine — Indian Ocean vision.
Act East Policy — political superstructure for these deployments.
Malacca Dilemma & chokepoints — strategic geography.
Exercise Komodo & International Fleet Review (Indonesia, 2025) — multilateral context [3].
India-ASEAN Maritime Exercise (AIME) — first held 2023.
Southern Naval Command, Kochi — training architecture of IN.

ICGS Sarathi is Coast Guard, not Navy — easy confusion in MCQs listing "Indian Navy ships".
1TS is based at Kochi, not Visakhapatnam (Eastern Fleet) or Mumbai (Western Fleet).
Samudra Shakti = India-Indonesia; do not confuse with Samudra Lakshman (India-Malaysia) or Samudra Setu (COVID evacuation op).
Belawan is in Sumatra (Indonesia), not Malaysia — though it lies on the Malacca Strait.
Squadron is "First Training Squadron" (1TS) — distinct from the Eastern Fleet or Sail Training Squadron (INS Tarangini etc.).