Malabar Exercises 2023: QUAD Navies To Begin Joint Drills From 11 August, To Focus On Air-Defence and Under-Sea Detection

The Malabar series of naval exercises, involving India, Japan, the US, and Australia, is set to commence off the eastern coast of Australia with a focus on air defence, sea operations, coordinated maneuvers, and under-sea threat detection.

Hosted by the Australian Navy, the 10-day event will take place from 11 to 21 August, beginning with a harbour phase in Sydney followed by sea exercises.

Australia will deploy two warships, HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane, while the Indian Navy will participate with INS Kolkata and INS Sahyadri.

The US and Japan will each send a warship to the exercises.

Apart from Japan, the rest three countries will field Boeing P8I maritime surveillance aircraft from their respective fleets.

Unlike previous editions, this year's exercise will not feature submarines or aircraft carriers. However, it will involve high-end complexity in various domains of warfare, including sea, under-sea, and air operations, as well as air-defence scenarios.

The maritime surveillance aircraft will play a crucial role in the anti-submarine warfare exercises.

Authorities emphasize that the exercise aims to enhance interoperability among the participating platforms and should not be seen as targeting China.

The four nations, India, Japan, the US, and Australia, also form the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which advocates for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and opposes any attempts to challenge sea and air navigation.

The Malabar series of maritime exercises, initiated in 1992, has evolved in complexity over the years and serves as a demonstration of the participating countries' commitment to regional security and cooperation.