The Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron, known as 1TS, has concluded its training and military engagement in the Maldives. The squadron closed out with a Passage Exercise, or PASSEX, alongside the Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard. The High Commission of India in Male confirmed the wrap-up on Saturday and called the engagement highly productive.

The squadron is made up of three ships: INS Tir, INS Sujata and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi. The group remains on an ongoing training deployment, and the Maldives leg is part of that longer run.

Maldives Exercise Caps the Run

The High Commission framed the outcome in partnership terms. Its post on X said the engagement reinforced the enduring maritime partnership between India and the Maldives. The PASSEX gave the two sides a working drill at sea, not just a ceremonial visit.

Seychelles Port Call Set the Stage

Before reaching the Maldives, the 1TS ships spent time at Seychelles’ Port Victoria. The port call began on October 12. The ships departed on October 15 to continue their deployment.

During the stop, the Senior Officer of 1TS and the Commanding Officers of the visiting ships called on the Chief of Defence Forces of the Seychelles Defence Force, Major General Michael Rosette. The discussions focused on the enduring partnership and bilateral cooperation between the two forces.

The ships also carried out a PASSEX with the Seychelles Coast Guard ship Andromache. According to the Indian Navy’s post on X, the exercise featured joint patrolling, communication drills and coordinated manoeuvres.

Why the Drills Matter

Each exercise adds to a shared record of operating together. Joint patrolling and communication drills test how crews coordinate in real conditions, and repeated engagements build familiarity between the forces involved.

India’s Reach Across the Indian Ocean

The Indian Navy has placed the deployment within its MAHASAGAR vision, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. The Ministry of Defence said the deployment underscores the strong bonds of friendship between India and Seychelles.

The deployment underscores the strong bonds of friendship between India and Seychelles and reflects the Indian Navy’s commitment to capacity building and regional partnerships in line with the vision of MAHASAGAR.

Put together, the two stops show a navy working with partner nations across the Indian Ocean region. Port visits, at-sea exercises and meetings with senior defence leaders all sit inside one deployment. For India, that is a visible display of naval reach in a region where partner relationships carry real weight.

Coast guard involvement stands out. Both the Maldives and Seychelles engagements involved coast guard units, and the squadron itself includes Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi alongside two Navy ships. That mix points to maritime cooperation that goes beyond warships alone.

What comes next. The source material does not outline the squadron’s next port of call, so the deployment’s next leg has not been announced in the reporting available. What is clear is that the ships completed two partner engagements in quick succession and remain on their ongoing training deployment.

The message from New Delhi and its missions is steady and public. The Navy is working with neighbours and island partners, announcing each drill and each meeting on social media, and linking that work to a shared regional vision.