On 12th October 2021, QUAD countries – India, Australia, Japan & USA started the second phase of the 25th edition of joint Naval exercise ‘Malabar 2021’ in the Bay of Bengal region. The 3-day long naval exercise is aimed at building coordination & interoperability among the navies that was established during the 1st phase.
i.In the 2nd phase the Indian side is represented by INS Ranvijay, INS Satpura, P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft, and a submarine.
ii.US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, USS Lake Champlain and USS Stockdale also marked their presence in the exercise.
iii.Japan marks its presence with JS Kaga & JS Murasame, while Australia was represented by HMAS Ballarat & HMAS Sirius.
Note – The 1st phase of 2021’s Malabar exercise was hosted by the US Navy in August near the Guam Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Background of Malabar Exercise:
- Started in 1992, as a bilateral Naval exercise between India & USA
- In 2015, Japan became a permanent member of the exercise
- In 2020, Australia became a permanent member
- 2021’s marks the 25th edition of the Naval Exercise
India’s Defence Exercises with Quad Countries:
- India-US: Yudha Abhyas (Military), Vajra Prahar (Military)
- India- Japan: JIMEX (Naval Exercise), SHINYUU Maitri (Air Exercise), and Dharma Guardian (Military exercise)
- India-Australia: AUSINDEX (Naval), AUSTRA HIND (Military)
Recent Related News:
In March 2021, PM Narendra Modi virtually participated in the 1st-ever Leader-Level Summit of 4 QUAD countries – India, Japan, USA & Australia & discussed work towards an ‘open’ & ‘free’ Indo-Pacific region.
About QUAD:
i.QUAD or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a grouping of 4 countries – India, Australia, Japan & USA, that was initially established in 2007 under the proposal of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.
ii.Later in the 2017 ASEAN Summit, the 4 countries agreed to revive the QUAD alliance.
Motive – To counter China’s rising influence & maintain free Indo-Pacific region.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of Naval Staff – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) – New Delhi
