Current Affairs » Abhyas Drill: India and US coast guards demonstrated joint drills

Abhyas Drill: India and US coast guards demonstrated joint drills

On a great note, Indian and US coast guards have participated in the joint ‘Abhyas drill’ in Chennai. The 4-day US Midgett cutter’s visit came to an end with the massive drill. The USCG Midgett is the 8th legend class clutter of the US guard. This cutter is stationed in Honolulu. 

On September 16, US Midgett arrived on the Chennai coast. There was a talk between the coast guards of both nations during the visit. While both teams were in talks with each other, they discussed various rescue operations. They had a discussion on how to search and do rescue operations at their best.

Table of Contents

  1. Main Objectives of Joint Abhyas Drill
  2. The USCGC Midgett
  3. Additional Characteristic Features of Midgett

Key Takeaways

  • The member of the US Midgett is in the 7th-month deployment to bring changes in the Indo-Pacific space. 
  • They have been in continuous discussion with the Indian coast guards to promote an open and free Indo-Pacific. 
  • This event of joint drill was performed to bring understanding between both the nation’s coast guards.
  • They have participated to understand their capabilities. It is not possible to understand the powers from a distance; therefore, having a joint drill helped in better clarification.
  • The event also focused on bringing in an open and free Indo-Pacific region.

Main Objectives of Joint Abhyas Drill

This event was a successful event conducted between India and the US. The primary aim of this event was to create potential human interactions between the coast guards of the US and India.

  1. US Midgett decided to visit India for four days with the aim to restate the 75 years of relationship between the nations. Both nations have been maintaining partnerships for a long period now. 
  2. The visit followed the Summer 2022 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. This is known as the world’s biggest maritime exercise held every two years.
  3. In 2019, the coast guards of the US visited Chennai. This visit was to build relationships between personnel. This visit acts as a significant factor in ensuring an open and free Indo-Pacific region.
  4. During the four-day visit, Captain Willie of US Midgett stated that they were very happy to interact with the Indian coast guards. He also stated that both teams would have proper human interaction for all possible requirements.

The USCGC Midgett

The captain of the US coast guard Willie Carmichael is a well-known figure. He has been looking after the controls of the boat since August 2021. Before that, the boat was controlled by Captain Carmichael. The US Midgett comes with various high-tech equipment. 

The name of the US Midgett is kept in honour of the family members of Midgett. The family of Midgett served the United States coast guard. In total 7 members of the family were awarded Life Saving honour for their service towards the coast. You can find the following types of equipment installed on the cutter.

  1. The US Midgett is installed with a drone. This drone is known as the US Egale Scan drone.
  2. It has a helicopter named MH-65.
  3. There are also various other art styles of equipment.

This particular boat is known as the largest US cutter, which is installed with advanced technology. The central piece of this US coast fleet is the legend-level national security. This characteristic of the cutter helps in maintaining severe operations and defence requirements.

Compared with other cutters, this provides higher sea speed and range. This is also important for pulling out the drawing boats from backward. You can also find aviation-related facilities where helicopters can land and also be stored. 

The national security in the cutter allows controlling the most demanding open-range ocean spaces. This also includes highly advanced intelligence, computing, agency collaboration, and surveillance. 

Additional Characteristic Features of Midgett

  • This US cutter measures around 418 feet.
  • Its beam measures around 54 feet
  • The draft of the cutter measures 22 feet
  • Displacement measures around 4700 LT
  • The mast height of the cutter is 154 feet
  • The maximum speed of the cutter is 28 kts
  • The overall count of the crew in the cutter counts 23 officers and 120 sailors. This crew plays a significant role in delivering the required service.