Source: DC
Context: INS Sahyadri has reached Guam in the Northern Pacific to participate in Exercise Malabar 2025, reaffirming India’s commitment to maritime cooperation, regional stability, and interoperability among the Quad nations.
About Exercise Malabar 2025:
What it is?
- Exercise Malabar is a multilateral naval exercise involving the navies of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia.
- It serves as a premier platform for enhancing maritime security coordination, interoperability, and joint operational capabilities among the participating nations.
Origin:
- Initiated in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the United States.
- Japan became a permanent member in 2015, followed by Australia in 2020, making it a Quad-level exercise.
History:
- Over three decades, the exercise has evolved from basic maritime coordination drills to advanced joint operations, reflecting growing strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- It has been hosted rotationally by member countries, symbolising shared responsibility for regional security.
Nations Involved: India, United States, Japan, and Australia — collectively representing the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) nations committed to a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
2025 Host: Guam, a U.S. Island territory in the Western Pacific, is hosting Malabar 2025, featuring both harbour and sea phases of the exercise.
Features of Malabar 2025:
- Harbour Phase: Operational planning meetings, communication alignment, cross-deck visits, and cultural exchanges to enhance mutual understanding.
- Sea Phase: Advanced maritime operations including joint fleet manoeuvres, anti-submarine warfare, surface gunnery drills, air defence operations, and cross-deck helicopter flights.
- Focus Areas: Strengthening maritime domain awareness, joint logistics, and coordinated response to emerging security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
- Symbol of Aatmanirbhar Bharat: India’s participation with INS Sahyadri, an indigenously designed and built stealth frigate, underscores indigenous naval capability.
