The Malabar naval exercises between India, the US, Japan, and Australia got underway on Wednesday, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) hosted the opening ceremony aboard the JS Hyuga in Yokosuka.
Chinese warships are increasingly encroaching on the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions at a time when Beijing is attempting to exert more control over the world’s oceans, according to officials with knowledge of the situation. The Indian Navy said in a statement that those who attended the ceremony included Vice Admiral Yuasa Hideki, commander-in-chief of the Self-Defense Fleet, JMSDF; Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, commander of the US Navy Seventh Fleet; Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley, commander of the Australian Fleet; and Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, commander of the navy’s Eastern Fleet.
The P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft and two Indian warships, INS Shivalik and INS Kamorta are participating in the multi-nation training, according to the officials.Source:- Daily Express
The US Navy has sent the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius to the exercise, while the Australian navy has sent the frigate Arunta and the tanker Stalwart, and the Japanese participation includes a helicopter. The exercises are intended to improve cooperation and interoperability between the participating navies. On November 18, the exercise will be over. Since its inception as an annual bilateral naval drill between India and the US in 1992, Malabar has grown in size and complexity.China has been monitoring the drills because it is wary about the Quad.
The Indian Navy is concentrating on containing China’s growing ambitions in the region and sending a clear message that Beijing’s power play in the South China Sea cannot be replicated in the Indian Ocean by conducting naval drills with like-minded nations and reaching out to states in the Indian Ocean region.
