Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Malabar series of naval exercises featuring the navies of the US, India, Japan and Australia, the group informally called the QUAD, will get underway off the eastern coast of Australia this week.
The focus of the maneuvers planned this year includes air defence, sea operations and detecting under-sea threats with stress on interoperability.
The Royal Australian Navy is hosting the 10-day event for the first time from August 11 to 21 which will be divided into two phases, including a harbour phase at Sydney followed by sea exercises. The RAN will be fielding two warships HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane.
The Indian Navy is sending destroyer INS Kolkata and multi-role stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, while the US and Japan are sending a warship each. The maritime forces of the US, India and Australia shall be fielding Boeing P8I maritime surveillance aircraft also.
The number of warships is going to be less as unlike in the past, there will be no submarines or aircraft carriers of any country at the exercise, sources said. But the exercise will involve ‘very high-end complexity’.
The exercise is designed to have interoperability of platforms, they said, adding that it was not directed against China.
The previous edition of the exercise conducted by Japan had almost a dozen warships besides planes.
The four countries have been favouring a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’.
The Malabar series of maritime exercises commenced in 1992 as an IN-USN exercise and has grown in terms of complexities of the maneuvers. In 2015, the JMSDF joined Malabar as a permanent member. The 2020 edition witnessed participation of the Royal Australian Navy.
China has been raising caution viewing QUAD as a countervailing grouping against it. Speaking on the QUAD, Indian Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat had said, “…the QUAD is specifically a strategic partnership between four nations for freedom of navigation and disaster mitigation and ecological changes that are happening. But to be able to support each other, firstly we need to understand each other.”
The exercises highlight the convergence of views among the participating countries on maritime issues and their shared commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order.
The previous, 26th, edition of the multinational maritime exercise MALABAR 22 culminated in the seas off Japan on 15 November 2022. This edition also marked the 30th anniversary of the exercise and was hosted by the JMSDF.
Immediately after the Malabar exercises, India and Australia will commence their bilateral exercise AusIndex. Commenced in 2015 as a bilateral IN-RAN maritime exercise, AusIndex has grown in complexity over the years. The previous edition of the exercise was held in September 2021.
Australia and India have also built links between their defence forces through regular personnel and training exchanges, such as short specialist courses and longer-term higher education positions. Every year, Australia sends officers to attend India’s premier military educational institutions.
NEW DELHI: The Malabar series of naval exercises featuring the navies of the US, India, Japan and Australia, the group informally called the QUAD, will get underway off the eastern coast of Australia this week.
The focus of the maneuvers planned this year includes air defence, sea operations and detecting under-sea threats with stress on interoperability.
The Royal Australian Navy is hosting the 10-day event for the first time from August 11 to 21 which will be divided into two phases, including a harbour phase at Sydney followed by sea exercises. The RAN will be fielding two warships HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The Indian Navy is sending destroyer INS Kolkata and multi-role stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, while the US and Japan are sending a warship each. The maritime forces of the US, India and Australia shall be fielding Boeing P8I maritime surveillance aircraft also.
The number of warships is going to be less as unlike in the past, there will be no submarines or aircraft carriers of any country at the exercise, sources said. But the exercise will involve ‘very high-end complexity’.
The exercise is designed to have interoperability of platforms, they said, adding that it was not directed against China.
The previous edition of the exercise conducted by Japan had almost a dozen warships besides planes.
The four countries have been favouring a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’.
The Malabar series of maritime exercises commenced in 1992 as an IN-USN exercise and has grown in terms of complexities of the maneuvers. In 2015, the JMSDF joined Malabar as a permanent member. The 2020 edition witnessed participation of the Royal Australian Navy.
China has been raising caution viewing QUAD as a countervailing grouping against it. Speaking on the QUAD, Indian Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat had said, “…the QUAD is specifically a strategic partnership between four nations for freedom of navigation and disaster mitigation and ecological changes that are happening. But to be able to support each other, firstly we need to understand each other.”
The exercises highlight the convergence of views among the participating countries on maritime issues and their shared commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order.
The previous, 26th, edition of the multinational maritime exercise MALABAR 22 culminated in the seas off Japan on 15 November 2022. This edition also marked the 30th anniversary of the exercise and was hosted by the JMSDF.
Immediately after the Malabar exercises, India and Australia will commence their bilateral exercise AusIndex. Commenced in 2015 as a bilateral IN-RAN maritime exercise, AusIndex has grown in complexity over the years. The previous edition of the exercise was held in September 2021.
Australia and India have also built links between their defence forces through regular personnel and training exchanges, such as short specialist courses and longer-term higher education positions. Every year, Australia sends officers to attend India’s premier military educational institutions.
