Signifying the growing ties between the Quad countries, the navies of India, the USA, Australia and Japan will commence the second phase of the Malabar series of maritime exercise from Tuesday.

Lending muscle and stature, the aircraft carriers of India and the USA, including INS Vikramaditya and USS Nimitz, will take part in the four-day event off Goa in the Arabian Sea.

The first phase of the exercise was held off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal for four days from November 3 even as China protested against Australian participation. Beijing claimed the Quad coalition was getting militarised with four nations coming together for the exercise and posing threat in the Indo-Pacific region.

However, India brushed aside Chinese objection and invited Australia to take part in the exercise. The move was welcome by the all the four Ministers during their conclave under the aegis of 2+2 dialogue between India and US here in October.

Incidentally, the US and Japan all along advocated the case of Australian participation. The last time Australia was part of the Malabar series was in 2007. China lodged a strong diplomatic protest with all the four countries.

As regards the second phase of the Malabar, Navy officials said this phase will involve coordinated operations of increasing complexity between the Quad navies.

Phase 2 will witness joint operations, centered around the Vikramaditya Carrier Battle Group of the Indian Navy and Nimitz Carrier Strike Group of the US Navy. The two carriers, along with other ships, submarine and aircraft of the participating navies, would be engaged in high intensity naval operations over four days.

These exercises include cross-deck flying operations and advanced air defence exercises by MIG 29K fighters of Vikramaditya and F-18 fighters and E2C Hawkeye from Nimitz. In addition, advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, seamanship evolutions and weapon firings will also be undertaken to further enhance inter-operability and synergy between the four friendly navies.

In addition to Vikramaditya and its fighter and helicopter air-wings, indigenous destroyers Kolkata and Chennai, stealth frigate Talwar, Fleet Support Ship Deepak and integral helicopters will also participate in the exercise, led by Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet. Indigenously built submarine Khanderi and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Navy will also showcase their capabilities during the exercise.

US Navy’s Strike Carrier Nimitz will be accompanied by cruiser Princeton and destroyer Sterett in addition to P8A maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The Royal Australian Navy will be represented by frigate Ballarat along with its integral helicopter. Japanese navy will also participate in the exercise.

The Malabar series of exercises, which began as an annual bilateral naval exercise between India and the US in 1992, has seen increasing scope and complexity over the years. The 24th edition of Malabar highlights enhanced convergence of views amongst the four vibrant democracies on maritime issues, and showcases their commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order.

Australia joined the exercise this year for the first time since 2007 bringing together all four countries of the Quadrilateral grouping for the military games. Malabar formally became a trilateral format with inclusion of Japan in 2015.