Quad navies unite for Malabar 2025, strengthening indo-pacific security

NEW DELHI: With the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) on Wednesday announcing that Australia has joined India, Japan, and the United States for Exercise Malabar, the full quorum of the informal Quad grouping was confirmed. The Indian Naval Warship (INS) Sahyadri is already at Guam in the Northern Pacific for participation in the multilateral Exercise Malabar-2025. Terming Exercise Malabar 2025 as a key Indo-Pacific maritime activity designed to deepen interoperability between regional partners, the Australian DoD said in a statement, The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Anzac-class frigate, HMAS Ballarat, will participate in the exercise in the West Pacific training area between 10 and 18 November. The Exercise Malabar is being held between 10 and 18 November. The Harbour Phase will take place from 10 to 12 November, while the Sea Phase will be conducted between 13 and 17 November. The closing ceremony is scheduled for 18 November. The Indian Navy, in a statement, said earlier, The participation of INS Sahyadri in Exercise Malabar-2025 reaffirms Indias enduring partnership and its commitment to strengthening coordination, enhancing interoperability, and demonstrating a collective resolve to safeguard regional security. Indigenously designed and constructed, INS Sahyadri is a guided missile stealth frigate. The ship is a shining example of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision and has participated in several bilateral and multilateral exercises, as well as operational deployments. The Harbour Phase of Exercise Malabar-2025 will feature operational planning and discussions, alignment on communication protocols, familiarisation visits between participating nations, and sports fixtures. Following the Harbour Phase, all participating units will proceed for the Sea Phase, wherein ships and aircraft will take part in naval drills focusing on joint fleet operations, anti-submarine warfare, gunnery serials, and flying operations. A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will also participate in the exercise, flying its missions from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Australias Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, Royal Australian Navy (RAN), said that with regional security challenges evolving rapidly, partnerships and joint exercises are more important than ever. Through Exercise Malabar, Australia and partner nations are strengthening Indo-Pacific security by tackling shared challenges, coordinating collective strength, and closing gaps in global engagement, Vice Admiral Jones said. Through complex drills in anti-submarine warfare, air defence, and replenishment at sea, participating nations build the trust, interoperability, and readiness needed to respond to our collective security challenges, he added. The Malabar series of maritime exercises commenced in 1992 as an IndiaUnited States Navy exercise and has grown significantly in terms of the complexity of its manoeuvres. In 2015, the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) joined Malabar as a permanent member, and in 2020, the Royal Australian Navy became part of the grouping. China has repeatedly expressed caution over the QUAD, viewing it as a countervailing grouping against its influence. Speaking on the QUAD earlier, Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had said, ...the QUAD is specifically a strategic partnership between four nations for freedom of navigation and disaster mitigation and ecological changes that are happening. But to be able to support each other, firstly we need to understand each other. The exercises highlight the convergence of views among the participating countries on maritime issues and their shared commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order.