Australia has officially joined India, Japan, and the United States for Exercise Malabar 2025, a high-profile Indo-Pacific maritime exercise designed to boost interoperability, strategic coordination, and collective maritime security. The Australian Ministry of Defence confirmed the nation’s participation on Wednesday, describing it as a “demonstration of Australia’s enduring commitment to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.”
The exercise, being held in the West Pacific training area from November 10 to 18, brings together the naval and air assets of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) nations — a group increasingly seen as the backbone of regional security cooperation.
Australia’s participation includes the Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat and a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, operating from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones AO, CSC, RAN, said the exercise comes at a time when “regional security challenges are evolving rapidly,” emphasizing that cooperation between like-minded democracies is essential to maintaining maritime stability.
“Through Exercise Malabar, Australia and partner nations are strengthening Indo-Pacific security by tackling shared challenges, coordinating collective strength and closing gaps in global engagement,” Vice Admiral Jones said.
He added that the complex nature of the drills — covering anti-submarine warfare, air defence, and replenishment at sea — helps build “the trust, interoperability, and readiness needed to respond to our collective security challenges.”
Commander Dean Uren, the Commanding Officer of HMAS Ballarat, echoed the sentiment, noting that interoperability and readiness are central to the exercise’s goals.
“Training alongside regional partners ensures our people and platforms are ready to respond to any challenge and deter coercion in the Indo-Pacific,” Uren said.
The HMAS Ballarat, a 3,600-ton Anzac-class frigate, is equipped for air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance, and interdiction missions. The ship’s advanced sensor and weapon systems, including the CEAFAR phased array radar and MU90 torpedoes, allow it to counter simultaneous threats from aircraft, surface vessels, and submarines.
Meanwhile, the RAAF P-8A Poseidon, based in Guam for the duration of the exercise, provides long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare support, extending the operational reach of the participating navies.
A senior Australian defence official said that joint exercises like Malabar enhance coordination between air and naval elements, especially in “detecting, tracking, and neutralising undersea threats,” which are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the Indo-Pacific theatre.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri, an indigenously built Guided Missile Stealth Frigate, arrived in Guam earlier this week to participate in Malabar 2025.
In a statement, India’s Ministry of Defence said the ship’s participation “reaffirms India’s enduring partnership and commitment to strengthening coordination, enhancing interoperability, and demonstrating a collective resolve to safeguard regional security.”
INS Sahyadri, a symbol of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision, is among the Indian Navy’s most capable front-line warships. It has previously participated in several international exercises, including RIMPAC, Kakadu, and earlier editions of Malabar, underscoring India’s expanding naval diplomacy and blue-water ambitions.
Exercise Malabar traces its origins to 1992, when it was first conducted as a bilateral naval drill between India and the United States. Japan became a permanent member in 2015, and Australia joined officially in 2020 after more than a decade’s absence.
The 2023 edition was hosted by Australia off Sydney, marking a symbolic return of the exercise to Australian waters. Over time, Malabar has grown in both scope and strategic significance, reflecting the Quad nations’ shared interest in upholding the rules-based international order and ensuring freedom of navigation in contested waters, including the South China Sea and Western Pacific.
Defence analysts view the 2025 edition as particularly significant amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region, especially in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. While the participating nations maintain that Malabar is “not directed at any specific country,” its focus on maritime domain awareness, undersea warfare, and high-end naval operations sends a clear signal about collective readiness.
Exercise Malabar 2025 is divided into two main segments — the Harbour Phase and the Sea Phase.
The Harbour Phase, held earlier this week in Guam, involved operational planning sessions, coordination on communication protocols, cross-deck visits, and friendly sporting events among sailors. These activities are designed to foster camaraderie and facilitate smooth cooperation once the ships move to sea.
The upcoming Sea Phase, now underway, will feature joint fleet manoeuvres, anti-submarine warfare drills, surface gunnery exercises, and flying operations involving carrier-borne aircraft and long-range maritime patrol planes.
While the exercise underscores tactical proficiency, it also carries a broader political message of solidarity and deterrence. By training together, the Quad navies are reinforcing a shared commitment to upholding maritime norms, countering coercion, and ensuring open sea lanes in a region that is home to some of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Defence observers note that such exercises demonstrate the Quad’s transition from a “diplomatic dialogue” to an increasingly operational security mechanism, enhancing its ability to respond collectively to regional contingencies.
As Vice Admiral Jones remarked, “Exercises like Malabar are about much more than tactics — they’re about shaping the kind of Indo-Pacific we all want to live in: one that is stable, secure, and free from intimidation.”
With all four nations deploying advanced surface combatants, maritime patrol aircraft, and integrated command systems, Exercise Malabar 2025 stands as both a technological showcase and a strategic declaration — a clear reminder that the Quad partners are not just coordinating on paper, but actively preparing together on the world’s most dynamic maritime frontier.
