# Pakistan Navy Naval Exercise AMAN-13



## truthseeker2010

Exercise AMAN-13 is scheduled in North Arabian Sea from 4-8 March 2013. Navies of 50 countries have been invited to participate. This is the 4th exercise of AMAN series. AMAN is an Urdu word meaning "PEACE".

First Exercise of AMAN series was held in March 2007 which was a big success. During AMAN-07, 14 Ships of Bangladesh, China, France, Italy, Malaysia, UK and USA Navies participated. Besides, SOF/EOD teams from Bangladesh and Turkey also participated in SOF Exercises and 21 countries attended the Exercise as observer.



Second Exercise AMAN-09 was held in March 2009. During this Exercise 23 ships, 13 Aircrafts and 9 SOF teams of Australia, Bangladesh, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, UK and Nigeria, Turkey and USA participated. Observers from 27 countries also attended the exercise.



Third Exercise AMAN-11 was conducted from 8-12 March 2011. During this exercise, total of 39 countries have shown willingness in response to invitation by PN to take part in AMAN-11. Out of which 28 countries have participated with naval assets and observers. Total of 11 ships from Australia, China, France, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and USA participated. Three aircraft from Australia & Japan and 03 SOF/EOD/Marines teams from China, Turkey and USA also participated during the exercise AMAN-11. Forty three observers of 26 countries participated in AMAN-11. 







Intro

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## UmarJustice

*Aman exercise commences today* 

The multinational exercise Aman- 13 will be conducted from March 4 to 8, in which navy forces of 34 countries including Pakistan Navy (PN) are participating.

This was stated by Commander Pakistan Fleet, Rear Admiral Khan Hasham Bin Siddique, at a media briefing here on Sunday.

He pointed out that the Aman series of multinational exercises were started in 2007 with a view to promote regional cooperation and stability, greater interoperability and to display a united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain including Piracy. The Aman-13 is the fourth such exercise planned from March 4 to 8 at Karachi.

Admiral Hasham pointed out that the concept of exercise was designed to: Provide common forum for information sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interest. The countries participating with the Naval assets are &#8211; Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia (Special Operation Force only) Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.

The countries participating with observers are &#8211; Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Sudan, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tanzania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukra ine, UAE and USA.

He said that the exercise was planned with focused objectives, which are: Display of united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain.

Contributing towards regional peace and stability. Enhancing interoperability between regional and extra regional navies thereby acting as a bridge between the regions.

Admiral Hasham said that Pakistan Navy, along with other maritime forces of the country is proactively engaged in maintaining and further improving maritime security and stability in the region as well as checking illegal activities on our coast. Being fully conscious of the emerging maritime situation of the area especially since the start of this century, Navy has all along remained engaged with coalition maritime forces.

PN is the first Navy of the region to join Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP), named as Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150), in 2004 formed to check illegal activities in Indian Ocean and provide safe and secure environment to sea-lanes of communication. So far PN has contributed 45 ships since 2004 and have undertaken multitude of Maritime Security operations. These efforts despite resource constraints have been duly acknowledged and PN has been entrusted with the command of the Task Force 150 for five times since 2004. Besides this, navy is also part of Combined Task Force-151 formed in Jan 2009 exclusively to combat the threat of piracy in Gulf of Aden.

So far, 14 PN ships have participated in this coalition and PN have also commanded this task force twice in last two years and are in command for the third time since December 12. Besides joining the international coalition, PN has also taken other initiatives for collaborative maritime security. In this direction, PN initiated Aman series of exercise in 2007, which has become a biennial event. This PN considers not only an acknowledgment of PN&#8217;s efforts but also manifests the slogan of exercise, which calls for being `Together for Peace&#8217;.

When asked why India was not included in the participants of the exercise, he said, &#8220;Until and unless level of trust is not maintained countries like, India, may not be seemed among in such exercise. Courtiers like, India could not be among participants without resolving the issues of ports and others.&#8221; Admiral Hasham further stated that the Aman exercises hold a lot of importance as they define and help improve the level of operational readiness, task-accomplishment, refine command, control and communication procedures and tactics.

The international perspective of Aman helps the PN meet international standards and integrate into the global system of maritime security. The exercise Aman has grown in stature and Aman-13 has set a new benchmark with 33 navies participation including 18 ships. In addition, around 40 plus observers from 24 countries are also participating in Aman-13.

Pakistan being a responsible maritime nation with prominent strategic location is cognizant of its responsibility to ensure maritime security in the region which is of great importance to theentire globe.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

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## EagleEyes

Brain child of Pakistan Navy continues to see success.

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## ejaz007

Sri Lanka Navys Fast Missile Vessel Suranimala is sailing for Karachchi in Pakistan to take part in the Multi-national Naval Exercise, AMAN-13, which is scheduled to be held from 04th to 08th March 2013.







*Chinese navy to join Pakistan exercise*

The 14th Chinese naval squad heading for Somali waters will take part in a multi-national exercise in Pakistan in March, military sources said Sunday.
The Exercise Aman-13&#8243; is scheduled to start in the North Arabian Sea March 4. Aman is an Urdu word meaning peace.The fleet, sent by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, departed Saturday from a port in Qingdao of east Chinas Shandong province to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for escort missions.

The 14th convoy fleet comprises three ships  the missile destroyer Harbin, the frigate Mianyang and the supply ship Weishanhu  carrying two helicopters and a 730-strong troop, all from the North China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy.Since December 2008, authorized by the UN, the Chinese navy has organised 14 fleets to the waters of the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to escort 5,046 Chinese and foreign ships.More than 50 Chinese and foreign ships have been rescued or assisted during the missions.  KahleejNews

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## Last Hope

Please use this thread:

http://www.defence.pk/forums/pakistan-navy/205519-fourth-aman-exercise-held-march.html


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## Neptune

Best of luck for you guys . By the way I see that we're mentioned as both participant and observer? What's are status on this? Thanks.

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## Gentelman

Neptune said:


> Best of luck for you guys . By the way I see that we're mentioned as both participant and observer? What's are status on this? Thanks.



you are not attending exercise but just sent some people to observe...
I suppose your Special Operational Force is attending..
well SOF from Turkey attended Aman in the past...

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## Mian H Amin.

why arent we developing our navy ????


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## Kompromat

Mian H Amin. said:


> why arent we developing our navy ????



Because we don't have money

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## Mian H Amin.

lol, general sir, i mean we are giving all funds to army and airforce why not navy ?


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## fatman17

Mian H Amin. said:


> lol, general sir, i mean we are giving all funds to army and airforce why not navy ?



share of budget;
army 44%
airforce 34%
navy 22%

this anomoly needs to change.

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## Mian H Amin.

is that the actual share ???? i mean where did you get it from ? i read that military budget never get public in Pakistan..


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## fatman17

Mian H Amin. said:


> is that the actual share ???? i mean where did you get it from ? i read that military budget never get public in Pakistan..



i've just quoted %'s


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## Neptune

Gentelman said:


> you are not attending exercise but just sent some people to observe...
> I suppose your Special Operational Force is attending..
> well SOF from Turkey attended Aman in the past...



Ohh bro I think we can't miss the party, sounds like we're in just as always we. I just read in the news. It says that as country, this year Turkey will join as an observer itself. BUT it also says that the vessels of Germany, Italy, The Netherlands,
Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom
and United States will join as part of SNMG-2. As a result, Turkish ship TCG Gokova (FFG-496) is goin to join up to the party. So we're together again bro!

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## BDforever

Bangladesh is also participating in Aman 13 
BNS ABU BAKAR (frigate) is participating

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## Gentelman

Neptune said:


> Ohh bro I think we can't miss the party, sounds like we're in just as always we. I just read in the news. It says that as country, this year Turkey will join as an observer itself. BUT it also says that the vessels of Germany, Italy, The Netherlands,
> Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom
> and United States will join as part of SNMG-2. As a result, Turkish ship TCG Gokova (FFG-496) is goin to join up to the party. So we're together again bro!



:party:
yeah i got that news....

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## OrionHunter

30 countries and India's not invited? Jeeez!  And it's called Exercise 'AMAN'?? Whatever happened to AMAN ki asha?


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## Malik Usman

OrionHunter said:


> 30 countries and India's not invited? Jeeez!  And it's called Exercise 'AMAN'?? Whatever happened to AMAN ki asha?



Recently.....India has defense exhibition and she invited many countries but not Pakistan..

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## mehboobkz

Aman ke saath ye unlucky number kyo?

Pehle saffron ko bandit banaya. Ab ye kaam? Iska matbal aman nahi chaiye.

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## ChineseTiger1986

OrionHunter said:


> 30 countries and India's not invited? Jeeez!  And it's called Exercise 'AMAN'?? Whatever happened to AMAN ki asha?



The AMAN Navy Day has just become a platform to promote the Sino-Pak friendship.   






Although many other nations were also invited including USA, but they are just a bunch of supporting characters.

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## fatman17

OrionHunter said:


> 30 countries and India's not invited? Jeeez!  And it's called Exercise 'AMAN'?? Whatever happened to AMAN ki asha?



talli dono hathon say bajti hai

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## Xestan

*Pakistan Navy Chief visits various foreign naval ships*


[Pakistan Navy Press Release] 

Karachi, Mar 06: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila today visited different ships of foreign navies participating in the Multinational Exercise AMAN-13.

Upon his arrival, the Naval Chief was presented guard of honor by smartly turned out contingents of the respective ships. He met officers and men onboard and appreciated their participation in this international exercise.

The Naval Chief visited ships of friendly countries of Turkey, China, UAE, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, UK, Australia, Bangladesh and Italy where he was briefed on the operational capabilities of the visiting navies. While recording his remarks in the visitors book, the Naval Chief stated that the exercise AMAN would further strengthen ties among the participating navies and help devise a common strategy to curb the menace of terrorism at high seas.

During his visit to Chinese navy ship, Admiral Sandila observed that Pakistan and China enjoy long standing friendly ties. He hoped that these cordial relations would be further consolidated and mutual cooperation in defence sector would also be enhanced in future.

Meanwhile friendly matches of football, basketball and squash were also played among the participating navies.

Read more: Terminal X: Pakistan Navy Chief visits various foreign naval ships


*Welcome reception by Turkish Navy*






*With Commanding Officer of the Turkish Ship TCG Gokova*







*Onboard Italian ship ITS Cigala Fulgosi*







*With Commanding Officer ITS Cigala Fulgosi*







*Onboard the Malaysian ship*







*Briefing onboard the Australian ship*







*Onboard Sri Lankan navy ship SLNS Suranimala*







*Onboard the Chinese ship*






*With Rear Admiral Yuan Yuvai of the Chinese ship*





*With Commanding Officer of the UAE ship*





*With Commanding Officer of the British ship*





*Officer of the UAE ship briefing CNS Pakistan on systems installed*

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## Bratva

Cute with handsome looks.


*Onboard Italian ship ITS Cigala Fulgosi*







Bad A.S.S with handsome looks, the one who is giving briefing

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## Thorough Pro

Very nice, looks like CNC had a busy day , thanks for sharing.


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## A.Rafay

Great pics! Hope the exercise goes well!

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## S-A-B-E-R->

Xestan said:


> *Officer of the UAE ship briefing CNS Pakistan on systems installed*



the last pic with UAE ship seems to have a water jet engin insted of propeller...which ship is that

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## Windjammer

Why is the sailor on the left, saluting with his left hand. !!


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## Xestan

Windjammer said:


> Why is the sailor on the left, saluting with his left hand. !!



Good question  My guess is, he must be lefty.

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## starwar

he is just trying to make a shade with his hand avoiding sun shine...


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## Fahad Khan 2

Great Pics

share some operational pics also


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## fatman17

Pak navy steps out


By: Tariq Osman Hyder | March 05, 2013




Muslim societies with few exceptions, Arabs in the Mediterranean till the 11th century, Turks, Omanis and the Barbary Corsairs, have neglected the importance of sea power and paid a heavy price as the Mughals found to their cost. 

Paradoxically, while naval officers despite their small number have the most cosmopolitan worldview in our armed forces due to their sea voyage exposure, there is a paucity of interest in naval strategy beyond the navy itself. And this faced with an often hostile neighbour for whom Panniker in 1945 wrote that &#8220;the Indian Ocean must, therefore, remain truly Indian&#8221;, and laid down the Indian policy objective that it must dominate the region from the Gulf of Suez to the Straits of Malacca.

It is appropriate, therefore, that Pakistan Navy (PN) is conducting in the Arabian Sea a multinational exercise, AMAN 13, the fourth in a series begun in 2007, from March 4 to 7, 2013, with many countries participating. The objectives are to display a united resolve against terrorism and other crimes in the maritime domain; contribute to regional peace and stability; and enhance interoperability at a time when regional and international cooperation on the high seas to combat piracy, terrorism, WMD proliferation, narcotics, pollution and to keep sea lanes open is keeping pace with global concerns and policy.

Though not a linear progression, from the navy, nonetheless, this exercise reflects a sustained effort ever since Pakistan&#8217;s independence to increase its relevance on the high seas with the objectives of developing a naval capability to deter aggression at and from the sea, contribute effectively to deterrence and national security, and radiate influence region-wide. 

Over the years, Pakistan&#8217;s military training programme for the army, naval and air forces from other countries, particularly the GCC and other OIC states, has been an important factor in creating close ties, and a factor that has prevented various efforts to isolate Pakistan. The naval component, which has included sending deputationists abroad, has played a major part in this effort and earned much good will.

Sending naval ships on flag voyages abroad, to nearby and far off countries, has earned more goodwill. In addition, the navy has been interacting with regional and extra-regional navies through holding and participating in bilateral and multilateral exercises over the years.

The latest phase of Pakistani navy&#8217;s sustained high seas cooperation began with the USA/Nato/Isaf setup after 9/11, of a naval component to promote maritime security to combat terrorist networks. Of course, Pakistan had rightly kept away from the campaign against Afghanistan. However, the possibility of a multilateral naval task operating in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and part of the Indian Ocean close to our waters, which we were not part of, would not have been prudent and could have otherwise left an unwelcome vacuum.

I was part of the combined navy and Foreign Office team that examined this issue, obtained permission to begin negotiations to set out the parameters of participation, and obtained sanction for the agreement reached. Pakistan joined the 25 nations multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), as an equal partner and sent its first ship to participate in 2004. Since then, 44 Pakistani naval ships have been on patrol with CTF 150, commanding it five times, with the second highest on- patrol time second only to the USA. This has enhanced the navy&#8217;s logistic experience of sustained operations and interoperability; and made it measure up to the command, current tactics and operation levels of the most advanced navies. A valuable learning curve.

After that, given the rise of piracy emanating from a Somalia sadly mired in a continuing turmoil, it was logical for the Pak Navy to join in 2009 Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) set up to conduct counter piracy to operate in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia. Fifteen Pakistani ships have participated so far and the PN has commanded CTF 151 three times.

Hence, the navy&#8217;s initiation of the AMAN exercises in 2007 was a natural progression of this more activist external involvement. The AMAN exercises of 2007, 2009 and 2011 attracted wide participation. The current AMAN 13 in the North Arabian Sea is the best attended of the series. Thirty three countries are participating with 18 ships, sea borne helicopters, long range surveillance aircraft, nine Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) teams, and 40 observers, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA with naval assets. There are observers from Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Sudan, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tanzania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UAE and USA.

Landside there will be a three-day Maritime Security Conference with Pakistan&#8217;s Foreign Minister delivering the keynote address and the Naval Chief the summing up. Two response exercises against terrorist and piracy threats will be carried out off PNS Kassem beach and on the high seas in Pakistani waters to foster multinational cooperation against traditional and asymmetrical threats. A &#8216;Fleet Review&#8217; will conclude the exercise.

AMAN 13 will be good for building bridges with other countries and for Pakistan&#8217;s standing as a consistent contributor to regional and international cooperation on global issues of concern. It also provides grounds for reflection. Where does the PN go from here? 

Despite periodic high expenditure on its vital submarine fleet that needs replenishing, the navy gets the least from the defence budget allocation,10 percent compared to the air force&#8217;s approximately 21 percent and the army&#8217;s 48 percent_.(thats only 79%)_ This is understandable given the historical and current predominance of the threat from both land borders, but needs to be reviewed.

Pakistan with a 960km coastline, 200km Exclusive Economic Zone, with 95 percent of its trade and 100 percent of its energy imports coming by sea, sits astride both the Straits of Hormuz that transits 17 million barrels of crude oil daily as well as LPG, and the Arabian Gulf through which thousands of tankers and cargo ships pass annually. Resources have to be generated for a more robust navy - a navy whose submarines should eventually carry the third leg of Pakistan&#8217;s nuclear triad, a capability that for all nuclear counties constitutes the most secure deterrent. 

Pakistan&#8217;s deterrent capability is vital for maintaining peace and security in South Asia. For naval modernisation, as for all the armed forces, the imperative is for Pakistan to grow its economy, for its peoples well being first and further for their security and defence.

The writer is ex-ambassador and former additional foreign secretary. Email: ambassador.tariqosmanhyder@gmail.com

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## Windjammer



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## fatman17

*AMAN 13: together for peace*


By: S M Hali | March 06, 2013.



The maritime challenges for Pakistan are compounded by its strategic location. Situated at the confluence of three important regions of the world, namely Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, being astride the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz, in close proximity to global energy highway, makes Pakistan a key regional state. The Strait of Hormuz - a strategic waterway - provides access to the energy-rich region of the Gulf, with nearly 35 percent of the total global oil consumption traversing the Strait daily.

Myriad threats complicate the security matrix in the Indian Ocean: piracy, maritime terrorism, human or drug trafficking and arms smuggling. The Pakistan Navy (PN), which has been entrusted to secure the maritime interests of Pakistan, endeavours to operate a potent navy capable of meeting its obligations, promote strong ties with its allies and contribute to nation building, particularly in the coastal areas.

Being cognisant of the fact that no nation or maritime power can meet the asymmetric challenges alone, the PN participates in various coalitions like the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 and 151. The CTF 150 is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 25 nation coalition of Combined Maritime Force (CMF) operating in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman. The CTF 151 is an international naval task force operating in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia covering 1.1 million square miles area.

In addition to active participation in international coalitions, the PN has taken a number of initiatives for collaborative maritime security. The multinational exercise Aman (peace) is one such initiative, which is being held biennially since 2007. AMAN 09 and 11, which were conducted with meticulous planning and preparation, brought out valuable lessons that have been incorporated in the latest of the series, AMAN 13, being executed in North Arabian Sea from March 4-8, 2013. 

AMAN 13 is a manifestation of the PN&#8217;s interaction with regional and extra-regional navies to enhance interoperability and mutual understanding to jointly tackle the maritime threat numerated above. The navies of 50 countries have been invited to participate in the weeklong operations, along with their naval assets and observers. The concept of the exercise is designed to provide common forum for information sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interests; develop and practice response tactics, techniques and procedures against asymmetric and traditional threats during sea phase of the exercise and intermingling of multinationals with depiction of their respective cultures.

Alongside AMAN 13, the PN in conjunction with the National Centre of Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR) conducts international conferences on maritime issues. These intellectual encounters at NCMPR have become a hallmark of AMAN, since they provide the opportunity to have enriched discourses and provide a platform to promote maritime awareness in Pakistan, besides enhancing the country&#8217;s image in international fora. 

The planners of AMAN 13 have not only provided impetus to joint planning and execution of operations, but also emphasised the objectives as display of united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain; contributing towards regional peace and stability; enhancing interoperability between regional and extra-regional navies, thereby acting as bridge between regions.

Multifarious activities at sea involving boarding drills, cross deck landing serial, helicopter landings, anti-surface warfare serials, including naval gun firings on target at sea, night encounter exercise and maritime interdiction operation, coordinated missile attacks exercise from missile boats and fighter aircraft, anti-submarine warfare exercise involving ships, helios and aircraft, an international fleet review including replenishment between ships while at sea, anti-piracy exercise, naval gun firings on target at sea and fly-past by aircrafts from various participating nations will immensely enrich the experience of the participating units. 

An extraordinary feature is the utilisation of Special Operations Forces (SOF) through HVBSS Ops, SVBSS Ops, Static line and Freefall Water Jumps, Special Purpose Insertion and Extraction (SPIE) Ops, EOD Exercise, Maritime Counter Terrorist Exercise, ATT/Close Quarter Combat (CQC) Exercise, Frogman Exercise and VBSS Operations during MIO.

The successful execution of AMAN 13 is a significant demonstration of Pakistan&#8217;s commitment towards peace and stability through harmony and collaborative maritime security between navies of the occident and the orient. Nevertheless, maritime security exercises being organised and executed in Pakistan belie the propaganda that Pakistan is unsafe and teetering under terror attacks.

Simultaneously, the Indian navy has been conducting one of its biggest exercises, Tropex, in the Arabian Sea over the last 30 days, involving over 50 warships, including the new stealth frigates and nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, as well as 75 fighter jets, patrol aircraft and helicopters.

The writer is a former group captain of PAF, who also served as air and naval attaché at Riyadh. Currently, he is a columnist, analyst and host of programme Defence & Diplomacy on PTV. Email: sultanm.hali@gmail.com 

Twitter@nairangezamana

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## Windjammer



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## fatman17

^^very nice stuff.

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## Areesh

^^^

Is it Ormara coast?


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## Jango

Is this at Manora Beach?


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## Windjammer

fatman17 said:


> ^^very nice stuff.



*Do notice, Pakistan Navy Special Forces guy with US and Bangladeshi flags. *








Areesh said:


> ^^^
> 
> Is it Ormara coast?






nuclearpak said:


> Is this at Manora Beach?



Pakistan Navy forces take part in the multinational exercise AMAN-13 at Manora Island off the coast of Karachi.

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## Areesh

> *USS William P Lawrence arrives for AMAN-13*
> 
> *USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has arrived in the waters off the port of Karachi to participate in AMAN-13, a multinational exercise being hosted by the Pakistan Navy.*
> 
> USS Willliam P. Lawrence is a state-of-the-art naval vessel, one of the most advanced in the U.S. fleet, capable of ensuring the free passage of the seas for all nations.
> 
> The United States is one of 13 countries with ships actively participating in AMAN-13, whose objective is to promote peace and stability in the region and enhance interoperability among partner naval forces. Twenty other nations have sent observers to the exercise.



USS William P Lawrence arrives for AMAN-13 | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia

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## Ibr0kEmYrAz0r

Great handshakes; now looking forward to showing some pictures for the ships!

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## Thorough Pro

AAP KAY media NAY DAY DIA AMAN KI ASHA Ki BUND MAY PATAKHA



OrionHunter said:


> 30 countries and India's not invited? Jeeez!  And it's called Exercise 'AMAN'?? Whatever happened to AMAN ki asha?

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## S.Y.A

videos man, where are the videos?


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## American Pakistani

Nice pictures. BTW i think as a neighbour Pakistan should've invite Iran too, that may have help break the ice a bit b/w US/UK & Iran.

Looking forward for more pictures.

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## Windjammer

S.Y.A said:


> videos man, where are the videos?


*
Here you go...a little taste of the exercise. *

Navy Aman Exercises Package - YouTube

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## Jango

Windjammer said:


> *
> Here you go...a little taste of the exercise. *
> 
> Navy Aman Exercises Package - YouTube



Most of the battle scenes in this video are from the recently concluded exercise with the Saudi navy. That was somewhere in Ormara I think.

The demo yesterday was in Manora island.


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## Pashtun Wali

Areesh said:


> USS William P Lawrence arrives for AMAN-13 | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia


Thanks for the news. I guess the most powerful vessel will be this one .The US ship


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## Areesh

Pashtun Wali said:


> Thanks for the news. I guess the most powerful vessel will be this one .The US ship



Obviously. Uncle Sam has come up with the best ship.

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## nomi007

*USS William P Lawrence*


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## Neptune

nomi007 said:


> *USS William P Lawrence*



it's a Arleigh Burk class guided missile destroyer (AEGIS Destroyer), the most modern destroyer class in the USN after Zumwalt which's a new project and no ship has been laid yet.


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## Bratva



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## Windjammer

*Pakistan Navy special forces present an impressive maritime counter-terrorism demonstration during the multinational exercise AMAN-13 in Manora island, 30km from Karachi on March 5, 2013. The United States and China began naval drills in the Arabian Sea with Pakistan and other countries on Thursday, March 7, 2013, the Pakistani navy said, in a show of strength against terrorism and piracy. *

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## Windjammer



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## Manticore

Rear Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi (Commander Pakistan Coast) with officials of the Chinese navy delegation.

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## Manticore



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## Jango

ANTIBODY said:


>



Who is that officer in the green camo?

Name looks Pakistani but rank is awkward? 

If he is Pakistani then what is that badge on top of the medals?



Windjammer said:


>



Is that MRTP-15?


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## DESERT FIGHTER

nuclearpak said:


> Who is that officer in the green camo?
> 
> Name looks Pakistani but rank is awkward?
> 
> If he is Pakistani then what is that badge on top of the medals?



Yes hes a Pak officer.... look at the command badge on his chest.


> Is that MRTP-15?



Yes sir.


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## Jango

Pakistani Nationalist said:


> Yes hes a Pak officer.... look at the command badge on his chest.
> .



Whats his rank? He as two stars, one chand, and one cross...Brig has three stars in a triangle.

So I am not sure.

Is he Naval SSG?


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## DESERT FIGHTER

nuclearpak said:


> Whats his rank? He as two stars, one chand, and one cross...Brig has three stars in a triangle.
> 
> So I am not sure.
> 
> Is he Naval SSG?



Thts what i was thinkin.... but hes definetly a Pak officer... coz no other country has a comd badge like this... even my father wears one just like the one above.

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## Manticore

Windjammer said:


>



this is not a pic from the exercise 

NP, Ive already posted the commander's name under that pic


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## Neptune

I saw Turkish made vessel but still couldn't see a Turkish ship


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## Capt.Popeye

nuclearpak said:


> Whats his rank? He as two stars, one chand, and one cross...Brig has three stars in a triangle.
> 
> So I am not sure.
> 
> Is he Naval SSG?


 @nuclearpak;
That is R/Adm Z M Abbasi, Comdr. Pak Coast. He has the crossed baton and sword with Two stars on his shoulder; which is a Two Star Flag ranking Offr.

N.B. I did not know his name and designation, got that from Antibody's post#53 above.


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## Jango

Thanks folks...those pesky Naval ranks..I ain't familiar with them...always have to check wikipedia!


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## Windjammer

ANTIBODY said:


> this is not a pic from the exercise
> 
> NP, Ive already posted the commander's name under that pic



The site i picked it up from referred to Aman-13 
Is this one of the frigates Pakistan has acquired from China. ??


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## truthseeker2010

nuclearpak said:


> Whats his rank? He as two stars, one chand, and one cross...Brig has three stars in a triangle.
> 
> So I am not sure.
> 
> Is he Naval SSG?



Sir he is Rear Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi (Commander Pakistan Coast)


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## TOPGUN

Awsome pic's guys thanks hope to see more of these drills with friendly nations GOD bless Pakistan !


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## Markus

Windjammer said:


> Why is the sailor on the left, saluting with his left hand. !!



Maybe he got excited and is saluting with both his hands, the camera missed his right hand 

Btw, are those commandos in the other pics from Musa company ?


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## fatman17

*Naval exercise Aman-13 concludes*


From the Newspaper | Shazia Hasan


KARACHI, March 8: Naval exercise Aman-13 came to its conclusion with a spectacular daylong exercise in the North Arabian Sea, some 20 nautical miles from Karachi, on Friday.

The exercise attended by over 30 countries was carried out in two parts &#8212; the harbour phase spanned from March 4 to 6 and the sea phase from March 7 to 8.

The final day&#8217;s events were witnessed by observers who included navy personnel and the ambassadors and high commissioners of all the participant countries, who went aboard the huge Pakistan Navy supply ship PNS Nasr.

They witnessed a fly-past performed by air units of various participant countries comprising three types of helicopters and PC3 aircraft and PAF Mirages.

Replenishment at sea was demonstrated by two feeding ships, namely the PNS Shamsheer and PNS Saif, and the supply ship PNS Nasr itself.

The excises included an anti-piracy demonstration, surface firing on killer tomato where all the gunships taking part in Aman-13 aimed at a huge bloated target resembling a tomato and finally &#8216;man and cheer ship&#8217;, which saw 16 ships representing their respective countries pass by the PNS Nasr amid applause of appreciation by the audience.

The silence other than the hum of the ships engines would often be broken by the landing of PN helicopters bringing in foreign delegates.

The chief guest on the occasion was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne.

He praised Pakistan Navy for hosting the multinational mega event as well as a simultaneous maritime conference in order to prepare the forces and discuss the many threats in the sea.

Later, speaking to the media, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M. Asif Sandila, too, showed his satisfaction over the successful holding of the fourth episode of the exercise Aman-13, which the Pakistan Navy initiated in 2007 and had been holding after every two years.

Moving away from the topic of discussion, the naval chief, while replying to a question, said that he hoped that the Sir Creek dispute between Pakistan and India would be resolved through dialogue.

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## Jango

Any pics or videos of the flypast?


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## fatman17

'AMAN-13' international naval drill concludes

By Li Shen 
China.org.cn, March 9, 2013.


On Friday, the "AMAN-13" multi-national naval exercise concluded on the North Arabian Sea, Pakistan.




Naval ships from 14 countries, including China, the United States, Britain and Pakistan, joined a five-day naval drill in the Arabian Sea from March 4, involving 24 ships, 25 helicopters, and special forces. [Li Shen/China.org.cn]



The last day of exercises included formation flying, refueling at sea, an anti-piracy demonstration and surface firing.

Starting at 11:40 Karachi Time (Beijing Time 2:40 p.m.), helicopters from Pakistan, China, Turkey and Australia, transport planes from Japan as well as battle planes from Pakistan conducted formation flying one by one.

After that, the Pakistan Navy comprehensive supply ship PNS NASR performed the refueling of two frigates at the same time. The PNS NASR was built at China's Dalian shipyard in 1987. Her name is the Arabic word for "help."

Subsequently, the special unit of Pakistan Navy conducted an anti-piracy demonstration. After a speedboat fired flares to notify the helicopter of the accurate location of a ship which had been hijacked by pirates, a helicopter and speedboat carrying special unit soldiers arrived soon afterwards.

They undertook an air landing, board the ship and soon took hold of the vessel after clashing with the pirates.

The last item of the exercise was surface firing. Two frigates from Pakistan and China's missile destroyer "Harbin" conducted the drill and successfully hit the floating targets in the designated area.

Finaly then, 18 ships from 13 countries passed by the PNS NASR, the primary ship of the naval drill, in queue to receive approval from General Khalid Shamin Wynne, the Pakistani chief of the Joint Chiefs Staff Committee of Pakistan, together with other naval officers and observers from the 36 countries that participated in this five-day-long international naval drill.

Initiated and organized by Pakistan, the "Aman" exercise has been held every other year since 2007. AMAN is the Urdu word for "peace."

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## Jango

fatman17 said:


> They witnessed a fly-past performed by air units of various participant countries comprising three types of helicopters and PC3 aircraft and PAF Mirages.








No 8 squadron Haiders.

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## Windjammer

Helicopters fly over a naval ship during the AMAN-13 exercise in the Arabian Sea, March 8, 2013. Naval ships from 14 countries, including China, the United States, Britain and Pakistan, joined a five-day naval drill in the Arabian Sea from March 4, involving 24 ships, 25 helicopters, and special forces.

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## Windjammer

Pakistani P-3C Orion aircraft are seen during the AMAN-13 exercise in the Arabian Sea, March 8, 2013. Naval ships from 14 countries, including China, the United States, Britain and Pakistan, joined a five-day naval drill in the Arabian Sea from March 4, involving 24 ships, 25 helicopters, and special forces. Photo: Xinhua






Pakistani powerboats are seen during the AMAN-13 exercise in the Arabian Sea, March 7, 2013. Naval ships from 14 countries, including China, the United States, Britain and Pakistan, joined a five-day naval drill in the Arabian Sea from March 4, involving 24 ships, 25 helicopters, and special forces. Photo: Xinhua






Chinese Navy's missile destroyer "Harbin" fires during the AMAN-13 exercise in the Arabian Sea, March 8, 2013. Naval ships from 14 countries, including China, the United States, Britain and Pakistan, joined a five-day naval drill in the Arabian Sea from March 4, involving 24 ships, 25 helicopters, and special forces. Photo: Xinhua



nuclearpak said:


> No 8 squadron Haiders.



That's an immaculate formation of Mirage-5PA-3s. The maritime strike component of the PAF.

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## Jango

*PNS Saif and a Seaking heli.*






*252, PNS Samsheer.*

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## fatman17

^^vely vely nice indeed....


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## Jango

Windjammer said:


> [

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## Windjammer

__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10200704158956388

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## Ibr0kEmYrAz0r



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## air marshal




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## Manticore



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## Gyp 111



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## Liquidmetal

How do they drive these things without looking out of the window. I mean that is the bridge and there are people blocking the view outside?

Which ship is this? I mean the one with the main gun firing, the gun seems quiet small yet has an 8 cell missile launcher, is that PN ship or some other participating naval craft?

Thanks.


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## A.Rafay



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## darkinsky

A.Rafay said:


>



wow, very nice picture

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## darkinsky

ANTIBODY said:


>



why are there only 12 flags when there are 30 participating nations? i also dont see any africa/arabic/ south american nations participating?


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## Bossman

darkinsky said:


> why are there only 12 flags when there are 30 participating nations? i also dont see any africa/arabic/ south american nations participating?



what's an Arabic Nation? its Arabian and UAE was there. 30 included observers. Only 12 had ships. Attending with ships included Pakistan, Turkey, United States, Britain, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, China, Bangladesh and Australia.


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## truthseeker2010

Note: This is my own compilation so their may be discrepancies and it might also be incomplete

List of Participating countries with their respective units: 
China (Harbin, Mianyang, Weishanhu)
USA (USS William p Lawrence)
UK (HMS Monmouth)
Bangladesh (BNS Abu Bakr)
UAE ( Baynunah ) 
Malaysia ( KD Terengganu )
Italy ( Cigala Fulgosi )
Turkey ( TCG Gokova )
Australia ( HMAS Toowoomba )
Sri Lanka ( Suranimala )

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## Kompromat

Very nice, international cooperation is a need of the hour for the Navy.


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## Windjammer



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## Windjammer

Aboard a PN F-22P Frigate.






A PN ASW Helicopter Takes off from a Frigate.

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## Ibr0kEmYrAz0r

Windjammer said:


> Aboard a PN F-22P Frigate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A PN ASW Helicopter Takes off from a Frigate.



Hi mate. Both photo were taken on the Chinese type 052 destroyer 112 Harbin. First photo showed the PNS 252 Shamsheer sailing alongside; second photo showed the Z-9C chopper taking off from the destroyer 112. 

You can see the pennant number "112" on the helo pad, also the "dual" guiding-rail on the deck (similar to the US Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate), as 112 has a double-hangar. Also the colour scheme of the helicopter is in its usual whitish light grey, whereas Pakistan's Z-9EC helicopters has a darker navy grey colour which look prettier and very cool I reckon.

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## Windjammer

Ibr0kEmYrAz0r said:


> Hi mate. Both photo were taken on the Chinese type 052 destroyer 112 Harbin. First photo showed the PNS 252 Shamsheer sailing alongside; second photo showed the Z9-C chopper taking off from the destroyer 112.
> 
> You can see the pennant number "112" on the helo pad, also the "dual" guiding-rail on the deck (similar to the US Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate), as 112 has a double-hangar. Also the colour scheme of the helicopter is in its usual whitish light grey, whereas Pakistan's Z9-EC helicopters has a darker navy grey colour which look prettier and very cool I reckon.


I can only convey what appeared on the website i picked these images from.....also in the top image you can make out the Pakistan flag. !!


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## Ibr0kEmYrAz0r

Windjammer said:


> I can only convey what appeared on the website i picked these images from.....also in the top image you can make out the Pakistan flag. !!



Okay I know you just convey what appeared on that website you saw.

Yes I've seen the Pakistan flag. Because the Chinese ship DDG-112 is visiting Pakistan for the AMAN-13 exercise, and it is a courtesy to have Pakistan flag flying to show respect and friendship. This is called "Courtesy flag" in maritime terms.

Definition: A courtesy flag (or courtesy ensign) is flown by a ship in foreign waters as a token of respect by a visiting vessel. The flag is customarily worn at the foremasthead of multi-masted vessels, the *starboard yardarm or crosstree* of the mast of single-masted vessels.

From the picture, the Pakistan flag is exactly flying at the starboard yardarm (i.e. the outermost tip of the yard).

However, even without all those info, I am just *stating the fact* that the ship is a 052 class destroyer, just by looking at the bow section and the front twin 100mm main gun. The main gun on F-22P class is a single 76mm.

Hope this sorts out the confusion, cheers!

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## Ibr0kEmYrAz0r

Some photo from the old posts showing Z-9EC for the Pakistan navy.

Nice colour scheme I reckon.

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## Windjammer



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## Luftwaffe

I saw Japanese Flag there, Are they taking part as well...


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## Kompromat

Luftwaffe said:


> I saw Japanese Flag there, Are they taking part as well...



No we just put the flag up next to the Chinese because it makes us look cool


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## ejaz007

*Pakistan, Guest Navies Conclude Aman-13 Exercise*


KARACHI  Pakistan on Friday concluded a four-day multinational exercise and seminar aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region.

The Aman-13 /Peace-13 exercise brought together ships from 13 countries  including the U.S. and China  and observers from 20 others.

It was the fourth in the biannual series, which was designed to provide a platform for information sharing, develop tactics against asymmetrical and traditional threats and boost interoperability between all navies working in the region.

Though there are other threats to regional peace and stability, the main ones in the Indian Ocean region remain terrorism and piracy. Some of the warships participating in the exercise regularly engage in missions to combat these threats.

However, during the seminar, some questioned whether there was sufficient resolve to stamp out terrorism, given that the vast resources arrayed against the Somali pirates operating in the region have not been completely successful.

Some participants speculated that piracy had become lucrative for more than just the pirates, and that some insurance companies at least appeared to be content with the current situation. But others pointed out that the sheer size of the area that the anti-piracy naval task forces must cover made it impossible to physically eradicate the pirates.

The exchange in ideas and techniques also extended to special operations. Little information was released about that aspect of the exercise, but Indonesia was acknowledged to have participated only with a team from its KOPASKA underwater demolition team.

The U.S. Navy also sent an explosive ordnance team, as confirmed by U.S. personnel present during the sea phase of the exercise.

Local VIP visitors observing the exercises were headed by Pakistans Naval Staff chief, Adm. Muhammad Asif Sandila, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) chairman, Gen. Khalid Shameem Wynne.

Speaking to Defense News, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson, and members of the Office of the Defense Representative stressed the importance of Pakistan due to its strategic location and its participation in international maritime security endeavors such as Combined Task Force-150 and CTF-151.

The U.S. Navy also participated with the destroyer William P. Lawrence, which joined frigates from Australia, Britain and Turkey; a replenishment vessel, destroyer and frigate from China; corvettes from Italy, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates; a Sri Lankan fast attack craft; and a Bangladeshi offshore patrol vessel.

Japanese forces were represented by a pair of P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that joined helicopters from some of the participating warships.

Two of Pakistans F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates participated, along with its single Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, as well as a tanker, which conducted simulated replenishment exercises, and a range of smaller fast attack and patrol craft.

The sea phase consisted of a series of exercises including a special operations demonstration, gunnery trials and anti-surface warfare drills.



Pakistan, Guest Navies Conclude Aman-13 Exercise | Defense News | defensenews.com

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## Jango

Windjammer said:


> A PN ASW Helicopter Takes off from a Frigate.



Another thing that says that this isn't a PN ship or heli is that PN Z-9's don't have FLIR on them, only Fokkers have, and Bell 412 and Mi17 for the army.

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## fatman17

nuclearpak said:


> Another thing that says that this isn't a PN ship or heli is that PN Z-9's don't have FLIR on them, only Fokkers have, and Bell 412 and Mi17 for the army.



and the answer is PLAN


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## Darth Vader



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## Windjammer



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## Banana

Where was the theater of operations for the exercise?


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## SQ8

Banana said:


> Where was the theater of operations for the exercise?



Arabian sea EEZ .. specifically near Karachi.
Beachhead operations at PNS Himalaya I presume.

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## Manticore



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## fatman17

*Pakistan Navy testing the waters*

By:Arif Ansar

Monday, 11 Mar 2013. 


AMAN-13 naval exercise could help reduce regional mistrust.


Pakistan conducted an international naval exercise AMAN-13 in the North Arabian Sea from March 4 to 8. It was the fourth drill in this series that began in 2007. Reportedly, 24 countries attended the opening ceremony. The American destroyer USS William P. Lawrence was amongst the ships taking part along with vessels from Australia, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Turkey, UAE, Britain and Italy.

On the other hand, countries participating as observers were: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Sudan, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of this multinational exercise, Pakistan Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Hasham bin Siddique stated: &#8220;AMAN-13 will be instrumental in enhancing tactical and operational readiness amongst its participating navies.&#8221;

AMAN-13 was projected to be a routine exercise focused on combating piracy, terrorism, and the protection of shipping-lanes and trade flows. However, a deeper look reveals a newfound assertiveness, momentum, and significance behind these drills. 

AMAN-13 and similar exercises being conducted by other states are reflective of the broader tensions around Iran&#8217;s nuclear program, situation of Syria, and island disputes in the South China Sea. Underneath the island disputes of the South China Sea are the tussles for the balance of naval power in the Pacific Ocean. While the defense budgets of European nations and US are decreasing, that of China is only increasing. Furthermore, the naval forces of states like India and Japan are rapidly growing.

Pakistan&#8217;s neighbor Iran regularly conducts naval drills to showcase its preparedness and to counter any plans to attack its nuclear installations. Moreover, the country has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if there is such a strike. In December 2012, alarm was raised when Israeli media reported on the presence of a Pakistan&#8217;s nuclear-armed naval ship Shamsheer at Port Sudan. According to news, the vessel was to rendezvous with two Iranian vessels and conduct maneuvers on the Red Sea.

However, the joint operation was reportedly averted under pressure from US, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Iranian and Pakistani ships had showed up in Sudan after the October, 2012 attack on an arms depot in Port Khartoum. The strike was allegedly carried out by Israel, claiming the depot was being used to store Iranian arms that were being shipped onwards to Gaza via Sinai in Egypt.

Soon afterwards, in January 2013 Naval Special Forces from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia participated in a tenth joint naval exercise under Naseem Al Bahr. Earlier, in November 2012, Pakistan Navy Ship Shamsheer and P-3C Orion aircraft participated in a Turkish exercise Mavi Baline-12.

While Pakistan was busy with AMAN-13, Pakistan&#8217;s neighbor to the east, India concluded its largest naval exercise TROPEX 13 on March 1. In the recent past, India has carried out a number of such drills with the naval forces of other states that included US, Japan and Australia. One does not have to be much creative to imagine some of the scenarios being practiced, especially in the post Mumbai incident environment.

The recent controversy in Pakistan over the setting up of US &#8216;Tactical Command and Operations Center&#8217; at the Jinnah International Airport Karachi may be linked to this lingering risk. As Pakistan-India ties improve, the extremist groups may attempt to pull-off another Mumbai style event. A US based website has claimed the tactical command center is meant to monitor Karachi and the entire coastal belt to control smuggling. Iran may be equally worried about this development. The downing of RQ-170 Sentinel drone in December 2011 demonstrated the multiple purposes such assets can play. The drone reportedly flew out of Pakistan or Afghanistan to conduct surveillance over Iran. The Sentinel was also used in the operation to go after Osama bin Laden.

The increasing assertiveness of Pakistan Navy has ironically been matched by growing targeting of its assets that deal with surveillance and maritime security. This lends further proof to the fact that the agenda of TTP is more sophisticated than a rag-tag group of mercenaries can intellectually come up with or financially back. For example, in the 2011 assault on Mehran naval aviation base in Karachi, 2 P-3C Orion anti submarine and maritime surveillance aircrafts were destroyed. However, it should be noted that after the incident, US had offered to replace the destroyed planes. In the August 2012 strike at the Minhas airbase in Kamra, TTP targeted one of the key components of Pakistan&#8217;s airborne early warning system, Saab 2000. The advanced plane is capable of detecting high and low flying objects over a long range of about 450 kilometers, to include on the surface of the sea. On the other hand, Pakistan&#8217;s coastal line stretches about 960 kilometers.

While the schedules for such drills are decided much in advance, the timing of AMAN-13 was peculiar. It took place when Pakistan just handed over the Gwadar port to a Chinese government owned firm. The country has also decided to move ahead with the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, while Iran announced its plans to develop an oil refinery at the Gwadar port. These developments are deeply worrisome moves for India and US.

The presence of China, US and other pacific nations in the exercise, serve to calm the waters of mistrust between these countries. Through these naval maneuvers, Pakistan is playing an instrumental role in reducing tensions between China and other nations of the Orient. At the same time, such drills reduce apprehensions regarding Pakistan-China cooperation. Moreover, it signals that while India regularly conducts naval exercises with Japan, US and Australia, it does not necessarily mean Pakistan is isolated. Pakistan&#8217;s Navy has its role to play in the region because of its strategic location. However, as it relates to economic and security cooperation with Iran, Pakistan will continue to confront pressure from the West as well as the Arab nations.

The writer is chief analyst at PoliTact, a Washington based futurist advisory firm (www.PoliTact.com and http:twitter.com/politact) and can be reached at aansar@politact.com

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## Manticore

Pakistan And Aman-13: Building &#8220;Maritime Bridges&#8221; On Shifting Sands &#8211; Analysis

By Eurasia Review -- (March 15, 2013)

By Abhijit Singh

The Pakistan Navy&#8217;s recent multinational exercises, &#8216;Aman-13&#8217;, demonstrate its resolve to establish itself as an influential stakeholder in Indian Ocean security affairs. The four-day exercises &#8211; held between March 4 and 8 &#8211; brought together ships from 13 countries, including the U.S. and China, as well as observers from 20 other nations. Pakistan Navy sought to portray the exercises as an effort at promoting peace and stability in the region, but the real objective &#8211; that of boosting Pakistan&#8217;s regional standing and maritime profile &#8211; was more than evident.

The fourth in a biannual series of exercises, &#8216;Aman-13&#8217; served to provide a platform for &#8220;collaborative and cooperative maritime endeavours&#8221;, a theme that Pakistan Navy has been publicly espousing for some time. Apart from the usual objectives of information sharing, development of tactics and boosting interoperability, the exercises sought to prepare navies to jointly combat larger irregular threats to regional peace and stability in the Indian Ocean, mainly terrorism and piracy. With so many navies agreeing to take part, the initiative generated a fair bit of curiosity among regional watchers.

While the eventual numbers of attendees may have been lower than initially expected &#8211; with invites reportedly extended to as many as 50 navies &#8211; Pakistan did make capital out of the fact that the engagement drew wide-ranging participation from the Western bloc, South Asia and South East Asia. The exercises saw participation by a broad and diverse set of naval forces, including Australia, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UK and the USA. This was also, as some Pakistani commentators pointed out, a rare occasion when the US and Chinese maritime forces came together to exercise for a regional cause.

More pertinent, however, is the enormous contribution of the &#8216;Aman&#8217; series of exercises to the evolution of the Pakistan navy&#8217;s own maritime tactics and strategy. In its &#8216;constructive engagement&#8217; with regional and extra-regional navies, the force has refined its operational and doctrinal understanding of maritime matters, improved interoperability and enhanced awareness of the maritime domain.

The Pakistan Navy is, without doubt, assisted in its biannual endeavour by its active membership of the Combined Task Force-150 (CTF-150) &#8211; the multi-national naval grouping formed to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Since it joined the U.S.-led Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP) in the year 2004, the Pakistan Navy has contributed effectively to maritime operations, even going on the command task forces 150 and 151 on multiple occasions. Conceivably, some of the participating nations feel obliged to participate in &#8216;Aman-13&#8217; out of a feeling of kinship with another member of the Combined Task Forces. It does not, however, detract from the fact that the Pakistan Navy is increasingly being perceived as a professional force, and a reliable and durable partner.

The participation of operational units this time was also qualitatively superior. Pakistan Navy fielded its top-of-the-line F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates, while the U.S. Navy sent in an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. There were frigates from Australia, Britain and Turkey; corvettes from Italy, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates; and pair of P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft representing Japan. The exchange in ideas and techniques this time is said to have included &#8216;special operations&#8217;, with Indonesia, reportedly, sending a team of its KOPASKA navy seals, and the U.S. Navy dispatching an explosive ordnance unit for the sea phase of the exercise.

Needless to say, it was the Chinese participation that attracted the most attention. Fresh from the take-over of Gwadar port, China sent a strong message of support for Pakistan by fielding a three-ship strong contingent for the exercises. The participation of the 14th convoy fleet comprising of the missile destroyer Harbin, the frigate Mianyang and the supply ship Weishanhu &#8211; on its way to Somali waters for escort missions &#8211; displayed, unequivocally, the camaraderie and solidarity that China shares with Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Iranian navy was not invited to participate in the exercises, perhaps to avoid displeasing the U.S. Contrary, however, to what many commonly perceive this to be, the Pakistan navy has actually been expanding its engagement with Iran&#8217;s maritime forces. That it has done so without prejudice to its relations with other Arab states, is evidence of a new diplomatic component in its operational plans. In November 2012, Pakistani frigate PNS Shamsheer docked together with Iranian warships at Port Sudan, only a few weeks after the alleged Israeli bombing of an explosive factory in Khartoum1. Their joint operation, planned to be conducted in the Red Sea, was reportedly averted under strong pressure from US, the Arab bloc (principally Saudi Arabia) and Israel. However, only a few weeks later, in Jan this year, the Pakistan Navy carried out operational exercises with the Turkish and Saudi Arabian maritime forces, and had its ships visit Oman, displaying a propensity to maximize diplomatic gains by balancing competing interests.

Not surprisingly, India was absent from &#8216;Aman&#8217;. As the Pakistan Navy conducted its &#8216;magnum opus&#8217; in the Northern Indian Ocean (Gulf of Aden and Oman), the Indian Navy was doing its own TROPEX series of theatre level operational readiness exercises in the Arabian Sea. The latter&#8217;s non-participation exposes the limits to what any form of regional maritime &#8220;bridge-building&#8221; can hope to achieve in the Indian Ocean, without the involvement of the most potent and influential maritime force in South Asia. But mistrust between the two forces runs deep. Against the backdrop of recent developments in South Asia, it is unlikely either will be reaching out to the other anytime in the near future.

In the shifting sands of regional geopolitics, pillars of security can only be erected on firm foundations. As long as political instability and mistrust exists in South Asia, there is only so much that tacit diplomatic maneuvers and military exercises in the Indian Ocean can help in achieving.

(Abhijit Singh is a research fellow at the National Maritime Foundation at New Delhi. He writes on political and strategic issues in West and South Asia)

http://www.eurasiareview.com/150320...-maritime-bridges-on-shifting-sands-analysis/

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## Gunner4gun

THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL

Naval exercise
Monday, March 11, 2013 
From Print Edition

The Pakistan Navy&#8217;s efforts in curbing maritime terrorism and other threats in the Indian Ocean over the past decade or so have been noteworthy. Its participation in international naval coalitions and contributions in stamping out piracy have also been impressive.

The recently held naval exercise, AMAN-13, was a continuation of Pakistan Navy&#8217;s effort to identify and counter maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean. Organising an International Maritime Conference along with a large scale exercise like AMAN-13 becomes even more significant given the disturbing situation in Karachi. AMAN has underscored the true image and spirit of Pakistan as a nation striving towards peace and security in the region.

Umm-e-Habiba

Rawalpindi


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## Windjammer

*The Lighter Side Of The Exercise. *

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## Gunner4gun

Nice ones


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## Inception-06

mafiya said:


>



notice the gun upgrades ! Now they did install two Mg-3 on every side thats a good decision, but one 12.7mm AA Gun and one MG-3 would have been better !


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## Myth_buster_1

Windjammer said:


> *The Lighter Side Of The Exercise. *



When a nation has nothing to offer in scientific or technological manner then they will resort to such low level entertainment. And lol, they bluntly associate them self with "Islamic" republic of pakistan. When was the last time Pakistani soldiers were entertained by British or American female dancers during such joint exercise? So i am guessing Pakistan wants to tell the world, hey since we suck at everything here are our women for your entertainment. HELL WITH THIS NATION.

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