India, US and Japan on Thursday began a nine-day long Malabar series of annual joint naval exercises off Japan. The exercise will enable the navies of three countries to familiarise themselves with the operating ethos of respective forces and enhance interoperatbility. They will practice surface and anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol, helicopter operations and visit, board, search and seizure operations.
Termed as one of the biggest naval exercises from India’s point view in recent years, the harbour phase of the drill started on Thursday at Sasebo in Japan. The off shore exercises will begin off Okinawa Island in western Pacific from June 14 to 17. Incidentally, the off-shore exercise setting is close to a group of uninhabited islands in East China Sea called Senkakau by Japan. However, China also lays claim on these islands and call them Diaoyu Islands.
India has deployed three warships and one tanker for the 20th edition of Malabar series of exercises. The Indian fleet led by Eastern Fleet commander Rear Admiral S V Bokare includes two new multi-role stealth frigates INS Sahyadri and INS Satpura, missile corvette INS Kirch and tanker INS Shakti. These ships are also euipped with Sea King-42B and Chetak helicopters as well as marine commandos and explosives disposal teams, officials said here on Thursday.
Participants from the U.S. Navy include the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay, guided-missile destroyers USS Stockdal, USS William P. lawrence and USS Chung-Hoon, a P-8A Poseidon aircraft and a los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine.
The Japanese contingent comprises destroyer -cum-helicopter carrier JS Hyuga besides P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft and the US-21 ShinMaywa amphibious aircraft. Japan and India have held talks for the amphibious aircraft for the Indian Navy. However, no decision has been taken so far to ink the deal. Officais also said nine more Japanese warships will join the exercise towards the fag end of the exercise for practising tactical move.
The off-shore exercises will see the three navies engaging in submarine familiarization, high-value unit defense, air defense exercises, medical evacuation drills, surface warfare exercises, communications exercises, search and rescue exercises, helicopter cross-deck evolutions, underway replenishments, gunnery exercises and anti-submarine warfare.
Malabar series of exercises are held annually and to begin with it was a bilateral event involving the navies of US and India. These exercises are held off India followed by exercises in US the next year. Australia and Japan used to take part in these exercises as guests and Japan was part of these exercises last year in the Bay of Bengal. The NDA government gave the go-ahead to include Japan as the third country in the Malabar series and that country for the first time is involved as a permanent partner.