Malabar naval exercise to begin in Japan on September 25

The Malabar naval exercise involving India, the US and Japan will begin in Japan on September 25, the Indian Navy has announced.

This marks the gradual scaling up of military cooperation amongst the biggest naval powers - other than China - to be operating in Asia.

The Indian Navy also announced on September 24 the deployment of a P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft in Japan for the trilateral exercise. This is the maiden deployment of an Indian Naval P8I in Japan.

In January 2015, India and the US agreed to upgrade the Malabar series by co-opting Japan as a permanent participant in the exercise. Other countries who have taken part in certain editions of Malabar as non-permanent participants include Singapore and Australia

At the India-Japan Annual Defence Ministerial Dialogue held at Tokyo on September 2, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya announced in a joint statement that Malabar 2019 would be held in Japan from late September to early October.

While no detailed statement has been issued so far on Malabar 2019 by any of the participants, it is expected that the US and Japan would field aircraft carriers and submarines for the exercise. Warships from the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet which have been on overseas deployment in East Asia will take part in the Exercise.

The Malabar series of naval exercises, which commenced as a bilateral affair between India and the US in 1992, has evolved into the most significant multilateral military exercise in which India takes part.

During the visit of President Barak Obama to India in January 2015, India and the US agreed to upgrade the Malabar series by co-opting Japan as a permanent participant in the exercise. Other countries who have taken part in certain editions of Malabar as non-permanent participants include Singapore and Australia.

Reports had suggested that India had blocked Australia's participation in the 2018 edition to avoid displeasing China and posturing as a militarised 'Quadrilateral' against it. India had then even declined to scale up the level of the India-US-Japan-Australia Quadrilateral talks to the level of Foreign Secretary. But now, a Foreign Minister-level Quadrilateral meeting is on the cards on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York

On a regular basis, the exercise has featured an American carrier, and encompasses diverse activities ranging from combat fighter operations and air defence to anti-submarine warfare and maritime interdiction.

The last edition of Malabar to be held in India and waters around it was on 2017. The harbour phase was in chennai and the sea phase in the Bay of Bengal. This was also the first edition of the Malabar in which aircraft carriers were fielded by all three participants. The Indian Navy pressed the INS Vikramaditya, the Americans fielded the USS Nimitz and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force was represented by the helicopter carrier, JS Izumo. A total of 95 aircraft were fielded in this elaborate exercise besides 16 surface ships and 2 submarines.

The last edition of Malabar was held from June 7 to 16 off the coast of Guam. This was the 22nd edition of the exercise series and the first to be started from US territory.

Reports had suggested that India had blocked Australia's participation in the 2018 edition to avoid displeasing China and posturing as a militarised 'Quadrilateral' against it. India had then even declined to scale up the level of the India-US-Japan-Australia Quadrilateral talks to the level of Foreign Secretary. But now, a Foreign Minister-level Quadrilateral meeting is on the cards on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York.