Joint naval exercise Malabar between the Indian, Australian, American and Japanese Navies commenced at Yokusaka in Japan on Wednesday. The exercise conducted to achieve synergy, adopt best practices and increase interoperability was Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces (JMSDF).
Senior officials from the four navies attended the opening ceremony. India was represented by the Eastern Fleet commander Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Australia by its fleet commander Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley, the US by its Seventh Fleet commander Admiral Karl Thomas and Japan by the Self Defense Fleet’s commander-in-chief Vice Admiral Yuasa Hideki, the Indian Navy stated.
Originally, the Malabar exercise only had the participation of India and the US when it first began between their navies in 1992, the Indian Express (IE) reported. It only became an annual exercise in 2002, the report said. The reason it became a yearly event after 2002 was because until then, India was under American sanctions due to Pokhran-II in 1998, its second nuclear test.
Australia participated for the first time in 2007, and India, Japan and the US have been annual participants since 2014. Australia became a regular participant 2020 onwards, as it re-joined after 13 years, The Print reported. In recent years, Chinese diplomats have wholly embraced ‘wolf-warrior’ diplomacy. This is essentially a tactic of extreme aggression when dealing with foreign states, whether on an operational, tactical or strategic level.
Indian Naval Ships (INS) Shivalik and Kamorta and a Boeing P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft are participating in exercise Malabar. The US has deployed the United States Ships Ronald Reagan, Chancellorsville and Milius, Her Majesty’s Australian Ships Arunta and Stalwart are representing Australia and for JMSDF it is the Hyuga, a destroyer and a tanker, according to media reports.
INS Shivalik is an indigenously-designed and -produced multi-role guided missile frigate while the Kamorta is also indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare corvette, as per the Indian Navy. A frigate is a multi-role, vessel for “fleet surface ship protection against enemy surface combatants or incoming aerial threats”, while a corvette is generally considered a smaller version of a frigate, according to the Global Firepower website.
The INS Shivalik and Kamorta will gain significant operational experience while training with the Japanese, Australian and US Navies. This experience will come in the form of joint tactics and operating procedures that will be adopted and then implemented subsequently.
