Malabar (naval exercise)

Image of the ships participating in the MALABAR 07 Naval Exercise from the navies of India, United States, Japan, Australia and Singapore in the Bay of Bengal.

MALABAR Naval Exercise is a multilateral naval exercise involving India, the United States and other nations. The annual MALABAR series began in 1992, and includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers, through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises.

History

Three exercises were conducted prior to 1998, when the Americans suspended exercises after India tested nuclear weapons. However, Washington renewed military contacts following the September 11 attacks when India joined President George W Bush's campaign against international terrorism.

In 2002, the exercises comprised basic passing maneuvers among naval vessels, anti-submarine exercises and replenishment-at-sea drills.

In 2003, US warships, USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), USS Chosin (CG-65); US submarine USS Pasadena (SSN-752); Indian guided missile frigates, INS Brahmaputra and INS Ganga; Indian submarine INS Shalki and several aircraft conducted anti-submarine warfare tactics.

In 2004, Malabar participants included advanced assets like the USS Alexandria (SSN-757), a Los Angeles class submarine, and US Navy P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. This enabled both navies to engage in submarine familiarization exercises, a key capability for anti-submarine warfare collaboration.

In 2005, Malabar featured the participation of the aircraft carriers USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and INS Viraat. During a month of operations, US and Indian forces collaborated on a wide variety of tasks ranging from a joint diving salvage operation to a 24-hour 'war at sea' simulation that saw the two forces engage in mock combat.

In 2006, a US expeditionary strike group comprising amphibious ships, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines participated in the exercise for the first time.

2007

Malabar-2007, besides interception and dissimilar air combat exercises, featured surface and anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction and VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) operations to counter piracy and terrorist acts at sea.

On 4 September 2007, the naval exercise included 25 vessels from India, the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore in the Bay of Bengal. This was the first time a joint exercise of this scale involving 25 vessels was conducted, an event that India says is a pointer to the country's growing importance on the world stage.

China, which has not officially commented on the drill, is known to be unhappy over the event as it is being conducted in the Bay of Bengal for the first time. China has been cultivating naval cooperation with Bangladesh and Myanmar to gain access to the Bay of Bengal. China has also been strengthening military cooperation with Sri Lanka.

India's Left parties that have been giving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government a hard time on the India-US civilian nuclear deal, have vehemently protested the joint drill, seeing it as yet another sign of the growing closeness between New Delhi and Washington.

In June, China had issued a 'demarche' to India, United States, Japan and Australia seeking details about their four-nation meeting, termed a Quadrilateral Initiative. India and Australia had quickly assured Beijing that security and defence issues did not form part of the meeting's agenda.

At one time, the Indian government was known to have considered postponing or even canceling the drill but the Indian Navy put its foot down, saying the logistics involved made any delay impossible.

The operational area of Malabar-2007 stretched from Vizag on the eastern seaboard to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that guard the approaches to the Strait of Malacca, considered one of the world's busiest waterways.

The drill was previously a bilateral India-US engagement and was expanded for the first time.

The US Navy had the largest representation during Malabar-2007 with 13 warships, including the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz that was protested when it dropped anchor off Chennai in July.

The other vessels included the conventionally powered carrier USS Kitty Hawk, the nuclear submarine USS Chicago (SSN-721), two guided missile cruisers, and six guided missile destroyers.

Eight warships of India, including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, represented the Indian Navy. Viraat's Sea Harrier jets and Sea King helicopters, and the Indian Air Force's Jaguar deep-penetration strike aircraft were also seen in action.

Australia was represented by a frigate and a tanker; Japan by two destroyers; and Singapore by a frigate.

2008

19 October 2008, Exercise MALABAR 08, the twelfth of the series, was conducted in the Arabian Sea. The US Navy was represented by the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) Strike Group (RRSG). In addition, one submarine, USS Springfield (SSN-761), and one P3C Orion aircraft will also participate in the exercise.

The Indian Navy was represented by INS Mumbai (D62), a Delhi Class guided missile destroyer, INS Rana (D52), a Rajput Class guided missile destroyer and four guided missile frigates, namely, INS Talwar (F40), INS Godavari (F20), INS Brahmaputra (F31) and INS Betwa (F39). Additionally, INS Aditya, an underway replenishment tanker, and one Shishumar class submarine, Sea Harrier fighters, fixed and rotary wing aircraft also participated.