NEW DELHI: As China continues to assertively escalate in the South China Sea and expand its strategic influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India will host the highest-level Malabar naval exercise this year in the Bay of Bengal with the ‘Quad’ nations of the US, Japan and Australia.
Defence sources told TOI that the 28th Malabar exercise, which will focus on advanced anti-submarine warfare, is scheduled to be held off India’s east coast in October to further enhance military interoperability among the four countries.
“Malabar will involve complex surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare training, as well as joint exercises and advanced tactical drills to sharpen warfighting skills. As of now, there are no plans to invite a fifth country for the exercise,” the official said.
Malabar, which began as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States in 1992 and now regularly includes Japan and Australia, took place off the coast of Sydney in August last year. Japan was scheduled to host the exercise off Yokosuka in 2022.
This year’s Malabar exercise comes on the heels of India hosting its first large-scale multinational air combat exercise, Tarang Shakti, in August-September, which is due to involve the air forces of the Quad nations as well as the UK, France, Germany, the UAE and Singapore.
An aggressive China is high on most nations’ radar screens. Beijing, which has the world’s largest navy with 355 warships and submarines, is making expansionist claims against its neighbors in the South China Sea, especially the Philippines, and is building several new artificial islands.
Similar Chinese “gray zone” and salami-slicing tactics are also evident along its land border with India. China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean region is also a major concern, as Beijing seeks additional logistics turnaround facilities on Africa’s east coast after establishing its first overseas base in Djibouti in August 2017.
“China is active in several countries including Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros. Beijing has full access to Pakistan’s ports of Gwadar and Karachi. Chinese warships also spend extended periods in the Indian Ocean as part of anti-piracy escort forces,” the source said.
And of course, Chinese survey and research vessels, as well as satellite and missile-tracking ships, are a near-constant presence in the IOR to map maritime and other data that aids in navigation and submarine operations. “China is enhancing its underwater domain awareness in the IOR to operate more effectively here,” he added.
“The Malabar Agreement is about the strong bonds, common values and collective capabilities of the four countries to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific that China is trying to sabotage,” another source said.
Defence sources told TOI that the 28th Malabar exercise, which will focus on advanced anti-submarine warfare, is scheduled to be held off India’s east coast in October to further enhance military interoperability among the four countries.
“Malabar will involve complex surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare training, as well as joint exercises and advanced tactical drills to sharpen warfighting skills. As of now, there are no plans to invite a fifth country for the exercise,” the official said.
Malabar, which began as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States in 1992 and now regularly includes Japan and Australia, took place off the coast of Sydney in August last year. Japan was scheduled to host the exercise off Yokosuka in 2022.
This year’s Malabar exercise comes on the heels of India hosting its first large-scale multinational air combat exercise, Tarang Shakti, in August-September, which is due to involve the air forces of the Quad nations as well as the UK, France, Germany, the UAE and Singapore.
An aggressive China is high on most nations’ radar screens. Beijing, which has the world’s largest navy with 355 warships and submarines, is making expansionist claims against its neighbors in the South China Sea, especially the Philippines, and is building several new artificial islands.
Similar Chinese “gray zone” and salami-slicing tactics are also evident along its land border with India. China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean region is also a major concern, as Beijing seeks additional logistics turnaround facilities on Africa’s east coast after establishing its first overseas base in Djibouti in August 2017.
“China is active in several countries including Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros. Beijing has full access to Pakistan’s ports of Gwadar and Karachi. Chinese warships also spend extended periods in the Indian Ocean as part of anti-piracy escort forces,” the source said.
And of course, Chinese survey and research vessels, as well as satellite and missile-tracking ships, are a near-constant presence in the IOR to map maritime and other data that aids in navigation and submarine operations. “China is enhancing its underwater domain awareness in the IOR to operate more effectively here,” he added.
“The Malabar Agreement is about the strong bonds, common values and collective capabilities of the four countries to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific that China is trying to sabotage,” another source said.
