Malabar wargame begins off Japanese island Yokosuka

New Delhi: The Malabar exercise featuring the navies of all four Quad countries — India, the US, Australia and Japan — began on Wednesday off the Yokosuka island near the East China Sea in the backdrop of China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the region. Indian Naval ships Shivalik and INS Kamorta have been deployed for the 10-day high-voltage exercise being hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), officials said. The opening ceremony of the exercise was attended by Commander of Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Commander in Chief of Self Defense Fleet of Japanese Navy Vice Admiral Yuasa Hideki, Commander of US Navy’s Seventh Fleet Vice Admiral Karl Thomas and Commander of Australian Fleet Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley. “The multilateral exercise Malabar between the navies of India, Japan, US and Australia began today with an opening ceremony hosted by the JMSDF onboard JS Hyuga at Yokosuka,” said a spokesperson of the Indian Navy. The exercise will feature a number of complex drills involving several frontline warships and other assets of the four navies. China has been suspicious about the purpose of the Malabar exercise as it feels that the annual war game is an effort to contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Following India’s invitation, Australia participated in the Malabar exercise in 2020, effectively making it a drill by all four member nations of the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition. Australia participated in last year’s exercise as well.China has been suspicious about the purpose of the Malabar exercise as it feels that the annual war game is an effort to contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015.This annual exercise was conducted off the coast of Guam in 2018 and off the coast of Japan in 2019. In 2020, the exercise was hosted in two phases in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Last year, the mega wargame took place off the coast of Guam in the Western Pacific. There have been mounting global concerns over China’s growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. India, the US, Australia, Japan and many other like-minded countries are working towards ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.