PartnershipsSouth Asia

Malabar 2024 emphasizes protecting sea lines of communication, countering submarines

FORUM Staff

The multinational exercise Malabar 2024, hosted by India, began October 8 in the Bay of Bengal with advanced drills among the navies of the Quad security partnership: Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The forces focused on anti-submarine warfare, maritime interoperability and enhancing regional security.

The Bay of Bengal is central to vital sea lines of communication (SLOCs) that link East Asia, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Japan and the Korean Peninsula, to Africa and the Middle East and through which nearly half the world’s trade and energy supplies travel. Maintaining sea control and stability of the routes is essential for economic and energy security of many countries across the Indo-Pacific.

Ahead of the exercise, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized India’s steadfast resolve to maintain a rule-based international system to include respect for international law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“India has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to disputes and has sought to promote cooperation among nations in the Indo-Pacific,” Singh said at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2024 in New Delhi on October 4, according to The New Indian Express newspaper.

In a related address at the dialogue, Chief of the Indian Naval Staff Adm. Dinesh K Tripathi stressed the importance of oceanic spaces, particularly the Indo-Pacific, for the nation’s and region’s collective economic growth and security. He promoted collaboration and cooperation as the key pathways to ensure stability and prosperity in the region, the newspaper reported.

Tensions have continued to increase in the Indo-Pacific, largely due to the PRC ramping up its naval activities there. In addition to the PRC’s mounting aggression in the South China Sea, Chinese vessels that claim to engage in research but actually conduct surveillance have been increasing their undertakings in the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal in the past few months, according to The Telegraph newspaper.

For the U.S. and its Allies and Partners, maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific is critical to counter the PRC’s increasingly aggressive presence in the region and to ensure unfettered access to maritime routes.

The Malabar series of maritime exercises began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the Indian and U.S. Navies. In 2015, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) joined Malabar as a permanent member, then in 2020 the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) first participated.

Malabar, now in its 28th iteration, continues to grow in its complexity and interactivity among participating navies. The RAN sent its frigate the HMAS Stuart to participate with Indian and U.S. aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines. Meanwhile, the JMSDF deployed its Izumo class helicopter carrier and other warships.

Malabar followed the Indian Air Force’s multinational Tarang Shakti 24 exercise in August and September, in which personnel from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and eight other nations — France, Germany, Greece, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the U.S. — also participated.

Calling India a leading security partner for Australia, Chief of RAAF Air Marshal Stephen Chappell said, “through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and India, the Government is continuing to prioritize practical and tangible cooperation that directly contributes to Indo-Pacific stability,” The New Indian Express reported.

“India’s engagement with its partners is guided by the understanding that true progress can only be achieved through collective action and synergy, and due to these efforts, it is now considered as a credible and preferred security partner and first responder in the region,” Singh said during the New Delhi dialogue, The New Indian Express reported.

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