MALABAR EXCERCISE - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

News: Navy chiefs of Quad countries meet in Japan ahead of Malabar multilateral exercise

What's in the news?

       The Navy chiefs of India, Australia, Japan and the U.S., the four countries which comprise the Quadrilateral (Quad) grouping, met in Japan on November 5, 2022 and exchanged views on “further enhancing inter-operability” in future editions of the Malabar multilateral naval exercise.

       Meanwhile, in another development, a Chinese research vessel, ‘Yuan Wang-6’, entered the Indian Ocean via the Sunda Strait.

Key takeaways:

       The meeting in Tokyo comes ahead of a series of multilateral engagements in the next couple of weeks to be hosted by Japan, including the naval war games.

       This year also marks 30 years of the Malabar exercise, which began as a bilateral exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992.

       In the past, Chinese naval vessels have been observed in the vicinity while the Malabar exercise was underway.

       Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean began in 2008 under the garb of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and China has since maintained a continuous presence in the region, even deploying nuclear attack submarines on occasions.

       China has since set up a military base in Djibouti and developed several dual use ports in the IOR in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan, among other countries.

Malabar Exercise:

       Malabar, which began as a bilateral exercise, is now one of the cornerstones of military interoperability of the Quad forces.

       It is conducted and participated by the Navies of the four member nations of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad such as  India, the United States, Japan, and Australia.

       Malabar Exercise is aimed at improving the inter-operability of the navies participating in a drill.

       It also helps in increasing cooperation in disaster relief operations, rescue operations, maritime waters protection, etc. 

Backdrop:

       Malabar is a multilateral war-gaming naval exercise that was started in 1992. It began as a bilateral exercise between the navies of India and the United States.

       Two more editions of the exercise were carried out in 1995 and 1996, after which there was a break until 2002 in the aftermath of India’s nuclear tests.

       From 2002 onward, the exercise has been conducted every year.

       Japan and Australia first participated in 2007, and since 2014, India, the US and Japan have participated in the exercise every year.

Bilateral to Multilateral:

       Japan joined the naval exercise in 2015 as a permanent member, and Malabar became a trilateral exercise.

       But last year was an important milestone. For the first time in over a decade, the exercise saw the participation of all four Quad members. It was the second time that Australia participated in the Malabar series of Naval exercises.

Vision:

       Commitment to peace, stability and prosperity of all countries in this region.

       Upholding the rules-based international order.

       Respecting the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the international seas.

       Upholding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states.

       Promoting a shared vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.