Second Phase Of The Malabar Naval Exercise From Today
Second phase of the Malabar exercise from today, QUAD countries with India will show strength to China.
The second phase of the Indian Navy’s exercise ‘Malabar Exercise’ will begin in the North Arabian Sea on Tuesday.
In this, Vikramaditya aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, Nimitz, the American aircraft carrier and the ships deployed on the front fronts of the Navy of Australia and Japan will conduct intensive maneuvers for four days.
Officials said that during this exercise, a coordinated operation will be practiced to increase the ability of the ‘Quad’ group countries to work together by the navies.
It is noteworthy that the first phase of the Malabar exercise took place in the Bay of Bengal between November 3 and 6, during which submarine warfare and sea-to-air capability were practiced.
India-China border dispute going on
The exercise is taking place at a time when there has been a deadlock between India and China at the border in East Ladakh for the last six months, which has brought tension in the relationship between the two countries.
“The second phase of the Malabar exercise will take place in the northern Arabian Sea between November 17 and 20,” the Navy said in a statement.
According to the statement, at the center of the expedition would be Vikramaditya aircraft carrier and Nimitz vessel.
The Navy said the maneuvers are intended to increase coordination between the four vibrant democratic countries on the maritime issue.
Show the commitment to maintain an open, inclusive, and rule-based international system for the Indo-Pacific region.
Keeping the identity confidential, an official said that the exercise will take part in the US attack group led by the USS Nimitz powered by nuclear fuel, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of the exercise.
The USS Nimitz is the largest warship in the world. This battle group is a large naval fleet consisting of aircraft carriers as well as a large number of destroyers, frigates, and other vessels.
The maneuvers will include Nimitz with cruisers Princeton and Destroyer Strait and P8M marine reconnaissance aircraft. The Australian Navy will be represented by the frigate Ballart and the helicopter.
The Indian Navy said, “Other ships, submarines, and aircraft along with two aircraft carrier ships will be involved in the exercise and will carry out four days of intense maritime operations.”
The Indian contingent will be led by Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan
The Navy said the maneuvers would include ‘cross deck flying operations and MiG-29Ks deployed on Vikramaditya and air defense through F-18 fighter aircraft and E2C Hawkeye deployed on Nimitz.
Apart from this, submarine warfare will also be practiced. Apart from INS Vikramaditya, the helicopters of the air unit, destroyers Kolkata and Chennai.
Stealth frigate swords and auxiliary vessel Deepak will also be involved in this exercise from the Indian side. The Indian contingent will be headed by Rear Admiral and Flag Officer of the Western Fleet Krishna Swaminathan.
Submarine Khanderi and P8I marine reconnaissance aircraft will also be included
In the second phase of the Malabar exercise, indigenously built submarine Khanderi and P8I marine reconnaissance aircraft will also show their capability from the Indian Navy.
It is noteworthy that last month India also announced Australia to join the Malabar exercises, making it the practice of four member states of the Quad to counter China’s military expansion into the Indo-Pacific region.
China remains suspicious
China remains skeptical of the purpose of the Malabar exercise and feels that it is to control its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Significantly, the Malabar exercise began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise with the US in the Indian Ocean. In 2015, Japan became a permanent part of this exercise.
