South African Navy

Force in Play

Hosting multinational exercise with only one operational frigate

Chinese destroyers, Russian corvettes, and Iranian warships sailed into South Africa's Simon's Town Naval Base on January 9 for a week-long joint exercise. China leads the operation. Russia and Iran—both heavily sanctioned, both fighting active wars—sent their fleets. India and Brazil, despite the BRICS branding, are nowhere to be found. On January 10, the South African government doubled down, calling the drills 'essential' maritime cooperation despite mounting domestic and international pressure.

Updated Jan 10