Covid Casualties

Palak Gupta

On the night of 20 April 2020, the impact of Covid-19 on geopolitics became crystal clear as the US crude prices plunged to their lowest levels in history. Starting at an already record low of below USD5 on April 20, the US benchmark WTI oil price closed at negative USD37.63/barrel. The slashed prices sent shock waves across the oil industry.

However, it was in the first week of March that the Covid-19 outbreak started to appear as a potent catalyst to alter military and geopolitical state of affairs. A small initial manifestation was seen in the postponing of Milan 2020 and then US defence secretary postponing his three-nation visit—India, Pakistan and Uzbekistan in March. The reason cited by Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah was to “help manage the (US) Department of Defence response to coronavirus” in America.

When the Indian Navy announced on 3 March 2020 to postpone the 13th edition of multilateral exercise Milan 2020, little was known that a similar fate awaited other global military drills too. The pandemic has not only left the economy reeling and our social lives disrupted but has also jeopardised the annual military calendar, forcing the armed forces to rework on it–perhaps later.

“All exercises have been postponed as of now,” said ADGPI Col P.K. Sharma. All the military exercises which India was scheduled to conduct this year or conducts annually with the militaries of other countries remain suspended till further orders.

More than 50 exercises had been planned for 2020 by ministry of defence (MoD) in consultation with the ministry of external affairs (MEA). The 2020 list had included military exercises with countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, Nepal, Malaysia and France to name a few.

Military exercises — bilateral or multilateral — are a key confidence building measures where war scenarios are simulated to check combat-readiness, establish interoperability, enable information sharing and understand functioning of each other’s defence equipment. While the assessment of war preparedness through mock drills took a backseat this year, the armed forces around the world have risen to the occasion and actively engaged in Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in order to contain Covid-19.

The navies of as many as 30 countries were to partake in Milan 2020 which was scheduled to be conducted from March 18 to 28 at Visakhapatnam. Over 41 countries were invited. In response to a question if the pre