The Malabar exercises started in 1992 along the coast of Malabar as a bilateral exercise between the United States and India. It was expanded in the year 2007 with the participation of various countries such as Australia, Japan, and Singapore. In 2015, Japan became the permanent participation partner of the Malabar exercise, and Australia also participated in the year 2020. This exercise aims to increase interoperability between the forces of the navy. The exercises of Malabar include the United States, India and Japan as its permanent partners. The annual Malabar exercises consist of various activities, ranging from anti-submarine warfare to maritime interdiction operations and fighter combat dealings from aircraft. In this article, we’ll discuss what is the Malabar exercise, the key aspects of the Malabar Exercise, and the aspects of The Malabar exercises and Maritime security.

What is the Malabar Exercise?

Malabar exercise can be defined as a multilateral warming level exercise started in 1992. The Malabar exercises began as a bilateral exercise between the navies of the United States and India. Two more editions of this exercise were also harboured between 1995 and 1996, after which it took up a break under the head of 2002 due to the aftermath of India’s nuclear test. From the year 2002 ahead, the exercise has been dealt with every year. Australia and Japan were the first to participate in the year 2007, and since the year 2014, India, Australia, and Japan have participated every year in this exercise.

Salient Points About Malabar Exercise

• It takes place annually in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean alternatively.
• It is a three-party naval exercise. But now, due to the engagement of Australia in the years 2020 and 2021, it has evolved as a quadrilateral exercise.
• The archetypal Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal began in 2007.
• The exercise consists of various activities such as Maritime interdiction operations and fighter combat operations.
• The meaning of the exercise of Malabar in Japan, the United States, Australia, and India is to coordinate for an open and free, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. 

Key Aspects of Malabar Exercise

• The first phase of the exercises in Malabar in the year 2021 will be executed in the Philippine Sea, whereas the second phase will be carried out in the Bay of Bengal.
• Malabar exercise of 2021 is the 25th edition of the Malabar exercise.
• The U.S. Navy hosted the exercises of 2021. The initial phase of this exercise was to be used as an opportunity for the quad Indo-Pacific navies to operate jointly and fortify their skills for the integrated Maritime operations, air warfare operations, anti-submarine warfare operations, replenishment at sea, cross-deck flight operations, and live-fire gunnery events.
• In the year 2021 the exercise Malabar, the Indian Navy participated using:
  • INS Satpura
  • INS Ranvijay
  • Submarine
  • P8I long-range Maritime Patrol aircraft
  • INS Kadmatt  (P 29)
  • INS Shivalik  (F 47) 
• This year, the exercises of Malabar consist of Naval-specific Warfare forces during phase one to turn to the irregular Maritime hazards and hence integrate with conventional naval forces.
• Aircraft destroyed by the Japan, US,  Australian Navy in Malabar in the year 2020 are mentioned below:

US Navy in the Exercise of Malabar 

• USS Barry (DDG 52)
• USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204)

Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson on with the two destroyers

• USS Stockdale
• USNS Lake Champlain

Japan, Navy in the Exercises of Malabar

• Izumo-class multipurpose functions’ destroyer – JS Kaga (DDH 184)
• Murasame-class destroyer JS Murasame (DD101) and Shiranui (DD 120)

Conclusion

The exercise consists of various activities such as Maritime interdiction operations and fighter combat operations. Japan, during the naval exercises in the year 2015 and became a permanent partner after that, the Malabar exercise became a trilateral exercise. Still, last year it achieved a milestone as it became an exercise of a Quad in which other four Nations joined the Malabar exercise for the first time in over a decade.  The exercises of Malabar include the United States, India and Japan as its permanent partners. The annual Malabar exercises consist of various activities, ranging from anti-submarine warfare to maritime interdiction operations and fighter combat dealings from aircraft.