Malabar (naval exercise)

The first Malabar exercise between India and the United States was held on 28/29 May 1992. The exercises were located along the Malabar Coast in Cochin, headquarters of the Indian Southern Naval Command, and Goa. == 2002–2007 ==

Jaguars flying in formation beside a pair of Indian Navy Sea Harriers and a pair of U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets, flying over during Malabar 2007. take notes during small arms training aboard USS Boxer during Malabar 2006. The United States renewed military contact following the 2001 September 11 attacks when India joined President George W Bush's campaign against international terrorism. The 2003 exercises featured sub-surface exercises for the first time. Malabar 2005 saw the inclusion of aircraft carriers from both navies for the first time. China, which did not officially comment on the exercise, was known to be unhappy over the event as it was 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 and has been strengthening military cooperation with Sri Lanka. 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. == 2008–2014 ==

, Japan as part of the community service project, Malabar 2009. replenishing during Malabar 2012. aircraft assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 lands on USS Carl Vinson during Malabar 2012. Domestic political changes in Australia and Japan, as well as China's opposition, resulted in Malabar 2008 being on a much smaller scale with only participation from India and the US, and being conducted in the Indian Ocean. While the 2009 exercises were trilateral, India did not participate in the amphibious assault exercise in Japan. == 2015–2019 ==

, India and Japan in the Bay of Bengal during exercise Malabar 2017. Fulcrum aircraft flies over .On 26 January 2015, the U.S. President and Indian Prime Minister agreed, in a joint statement, to upgrade exercise Malabar. India invited Japan to be a part of exercise, held in the Bay of Bengal. Japan joined as a permanent member. In 2015, the United States brought up the fact that India was doing its "bare minimum" with regard the participation in the exercise. The 2018 Malabar exercise was conducted from 7 to 16 June 2018 off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea. This was the 22nd edition of the exercise and the first time it was held on United States territory. The exercise is divided into two phases. The harbour phase was held from 7 to 10 June at Naval Base Guam, and the sea phase from 11 to 16 June. Based on news reports, India refused Australia participation in the exercise to avoid posturing it as a military group against China. == 2020–present ==

takeoff from , Malabar 2020. steams in formation while participating in Malabar 2020 in the north Arabian Sea. steams in formation while participating in Malabar 2020 in the north Arabian Sea. Malabar 2020 was a "non-contact, at sea only" exercise taking into consideration COVID-19 pandemic. It was decided that Australia shall also be a part of the Malabar Naval exercise, in view to support a free, open and rule based Indo Pacific. Since the revival of the Quad by the US in November 2017, India had been reluctant to incorporate Australia into the Malabar exercise since it would have reinforced the false perception that the Quad was a de-facto military alliance. However, following China's aggressive actions against India in the disputed land border area of Galwan Valley (Ladakh), India agreed to enhance its deterrence against China by welcoming Australia into the Malabar exercise. This is the first time that all four navies of the Quad will be in a joint exercise in 13 years. US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E Biegun, on 20 October 2020, said that Quad should be "more regularised", and at some point "formalised" with the passage of time. It was reported in the Sunday Telegraph on 7 March 2021 that France planned to join the four other nations in 2021, and had planned its annual Jeanne d'Arc naval exercise around this event. Since the revival of the Quad in November 2017, much against the pushing by the Americans, India had resisted the incorporation of a 'willing' Australia into Malabar exercises. This was essentially to avoid propagating a false perception that the Quad was a de-facto military alliance. However, after China's aggressive move against India in Galawan (Ladakh) in 2020, India relented and welcomed Australia into Malabar, making it a quadrilateral exercise. ==See also==