The 2020 edition witnessed participation of the Royal Australian Navy.Ĭhina has been raising caution viewing QUAD as a countervailing grouping against it.

In 2015, the JMSDF joined Malabar as a permanent member. The Malabar series of maritime exercises commenced in 1992 as an IN-USN exercise and has grown in terms of complexities of the maneuvers. The four countries have been favouring a 'free and open Indo-Pacific'. The previous edition of the exercise conducted by Japan had almost a dozen warships besides planes. The exercise is designed to have interoperability of platforms, they said, adding that it was not directed against China.

But the exercise will involve 'very high-end complexity'. The number of warships is going to be less as unlike in the past, there will be no submarines or aircraft carriers of any country at the exercise, sources said. The maritime forces of the US, India and Australia shall be fielding Boeing P8I maritime surveillance aircraft also. The Indian Navy is sending destroyer INS Kolkata and multi-role stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, while the US and Japan are sending a warship each.

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