Exercise Malabar: The Malabar joint naval drills have started today (August 11) off the coast of Sydney, Australia, and are being participated in by India, the United States, Japan, and the three QUAD nations of Australia, New Zealand, and Australia.
the Exercise Malabar naval drills, which are being held between August 11 and August 21, will involve the active involvement of ships and planes from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, and the United States Navy (USN).
INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata, two indigenous ships constructed by the government-run Mazagaon Docks Limited, Mumbai, will represent the Indian Navy at Exercise Malabar.
The exercise is currently in its 27th iteration, and this edition is particularly significant because it is being hosted by the Australian Navy for the first time since the exercise’s inception.
The Harbour Phase and the Sea Phase of Malabar 2023 will be conducted separately. Wide-ranging activities like cross-deck visits, business meetings, sporting events, and other encounters are all part of the Harbour Phase’s preparation and execution of the Sea Phase.
The Sea Phase, on the other hand, will comprise a variety of intricate and intense exercises in each of the three domains of combat, including live weapon firing drills and anti-surface, anti-air, and anti-submarine exercises.
HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane, two warships from the Royal Australian Navy, will be sent into action. A warship from each of the US and Japan will also be included in the exercises.
Japan aside, the other three nations will use their own fleets to operate Boeing P8I maritime surveillance aircraft.
These training sessions would reportedly centre on honing numerous difficult movements for submarine detection.
Since the first Malabar exercise, which took place in 1992, the exercise has continuously grown in complexity and importance. Up until 2020, only Japan, India, and the US participated in the Malabar drills.
The Royal Australian Navy will take part in the Malabar exercise for the first time in 2020 after India invited Australia to join as a permanent partner.
