Canberra
The 27th edition of Malabar, a joint defence exercise between India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, concluded off the east coast of Australia near Sydney on Monday. The exercise involved ships, submarines, and aircraft from the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the US Navy.
The exercise was conducted in two phases: the harbour phase from August 11–15, and the sea phase from August 16–21. The Indian Navy represented the sea phase, while other participating units included RAN ships HMAS Chawls and HMAS Brisbane, USS Rafael Peralta, and JS Shiranui.
The sea phase of X Malabar saw complex and high-intensity exercises in air, surface, and sub-sea domains, weapon firing, and cross-deck helicopter operations. The joint exercise at sea honed warfighting skills and enhanced interoperability among the four navies to conduct advanced maritime operations.
The seamless integration of air assets demonstrated exceptional coordination and interoperability between Indian, Australian, and US maritime patrol aircraft units. Exercise Malabar demonstrated the strong cooperation, shared values, and collective capability of the four participating nations to ensure a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that promotes peace and security for all.
