It has been timely for the Indian Navy to demonstrate its weapons’ power. Additionally, it has cooperated with foreign navies. Almost three decades have passed since it began conducting joint naval exercises. An important naval exercise of India – the Malabar exercise – will be discussed in this article.
Also, there is one more military exercise that you should know is the Shakti Exercise.
What are Navy exercises?
Exercices are stimulated war games used to test capabilities, coordination, strategies, and smooth operation of military resources and operations without actually engaging in combat.
Generally, these exercises can be classified as domestic, bilateral, or multilateral exercises – conducted within a country’s defense forces, with two countries, and with multiple countries. Passage Exercises or PASSEX drills are also available.
There are numerous bilateral and multilateral navy exercises that the Indian Navy participates in. It is strategically important to conduct bilateral exercises such as Sampriti (with Bangladesh), Mitra Shakti (with Sri Lanka), Garuda Shakti (with Indonesia), Yudh Abhyas (USA), and Hand in Hand (China). Multilateral exercises like Desert Flag, Malabar, Indradhanush, Eastern Bridge, etc., are also important to India’s navy.
What is the Malabar exercise?
The Malabar naval exercise began in 1992 as a training exercise between the United States and India. In 2015, Japan joined, but Australia hasn’t participated since 2007.
In 2018, an exercise was conducted off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea, and in 2019, an exercise was conducted off the coast of Japan.
India’s defence ministry says the drills will likely be held in the Bay of Bengal and Gulf this year. The dates have not yet been confirmed.
WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT?
In this joint military exercise, the United States, India, Japan and Australia – the informal grouping known as the Quad – will participate for the first time.
A counterweight to Chinese military and political influence in the Indo-Pacific is hoped by the four democracies participating in the exercise.
As a result of the expansion of the exercise, India hopes to contain what it perceives as Beijing’s intrusion into its territory on the disputed land border with China.
What is the Aim of Malabar Exercise?
It is India and other countries’ primary purpose to hold naval drills, such as the Malabar Exercise, to enhance maritime defense cooperation.
During the Malabar Exercise, the Indian government aims to improve the interoperability of the participating navies.
Furthermore, the exercise allows the participating navies to rehearse and understand their SOPs for Security Operations in accordance with each other’s maritime security norms.
As a result of these exercises, a greater level of cooperation is also possible in disaster relief, rescue, and maritime water protection operations.
History of Malabar Exercise
Participation of the USA
As we read earlier, Malabar was previously used for basic operations and maneuvers between the Indian and US navies.
There were three Malabars conducted in 1992, 1995, and 1996. After India’s Pokhran nuclear tests, the US halted military exercises with India.
Several years later, when the 9/11 attacks occurred, India was among the nations that agreed to work together to stop global terrorism. As a result of these improvements, the US renewed the military agreements with India and began participating in the Malabar Exercise regularly in 2002.
Indian coasts, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea were the areas of the exercise.