Exercise Malabar, the bilateral naval drill involving the navies of India, the United States, Australia, and Japan, aimed at boosting interoperability, fostering mutual understanding, and addressing shared maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region, will be held from October 8 to 18.
The joint exercise of the Quad nations, hosted by India, will begin with the Harbour Phase in Visakhapatnam, followed by the Sea Phase.
Guided missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, submarines, fixed-wing fighter aircraft, and helicopters of the Indian Navy will be part of Exercise Malabar while the US Navy will deploy the USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer with its integral helicopter and P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Australia will field HMAS Stuart, an Anzac Class Frigate with its MH-60R helicopter and P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, while Japan is sending JS Ariake, a Murasame-class Destroyer.
The 28th edition of the exercise will also see the participation of Special Forces from all four countries.
Discussions on special operations, surface, air, and anti-submarine warfare through a subject matter expert exchange, complex maritime operations such as anti-submarine warfare, air defense exercises and surface warfare will be part of the exercise. These activities are designed to enhance the cooperation and operational capabilities of the four forces.
According to a defence ministry statement, “Malabar 2024 is expected to be the most comprehensive version of all editions so far, incorporating complex operational scenarios.”
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Exercise Malabar began in 1992 as a bilateral initiative between India and the US, but gradually expanded to be a quadrilateral exercise involving Japan and Australia. While Japan joined the exercise in 2007, Australia joined much later in 2020.