‘Will for Peace’ drills: Brics tests the waters of military cooperation

A week-long naval exercise off the South African coast involving the navies of China, Russia and the UAE has stirred debate over whether the primary purpose of BRICS is evolving in the emerging post-Western global order.The exercise, held from January 9 to 16 under the banner “Will for Peace 2026”, was described by host nation South Africa as a routine maritime safety and interoperability operation. Officials said the drills aimed to improve coordination in protecting shipping routes and safeguarding maritime trade.But some analysts saw in the manoeuvres a gradual effort to normalise military cooperation within the BRICS framework, testing whether the bloc can expand its influence into the security realm without officially formalising itself as an alliance.The naval exercise brought together new and existing BRICS members under China’s leadership, with Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia taking part as observers. Iran also sent ships, but reportedly later withdrew them to avoid antagonising the US. India, notably, did not join.BRICS – an initialism derived from the names of the five members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – began expanding in 2024 to include the so-called BRICS-plus nations of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia, among others.Its founding aim largely concerned expanding economic cooperation, but in recent years the bloc’s focus has shifted more towards reforming global governance to better represent a more multipolar world order.