Context:
Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar recently observed that the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the Indo-Pacific Region (IPR) are becoming increasingly vital for global security and economic stability.
- He made the above statement while addressing representatives of the three friendly navies of the U.S., Japan and Australia before the commencement of the Harbour Phase of Malabar-2024.
Relevance:
GS III: Security Challenges
About Malabar naval exercise
- The Malabar naval exercise is a bilateral naval exercise between India and the US Navy that started in 1992.
- The exercise was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.
- In 2020, the Australian Navy joined the Malabar Exercise, making it a quadrilateral naval exercise.
- The first Malabar Exercise in the Bay of Bengal took place in 2007.
- The aim of the Malabar Exercise of India, the US, Japan and Australia is to coordinate for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
- The exercise takes place annually in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans alternatively.
- The Malabar Exercise includes a diverse range of activities such as fighter combat operations and maritime interdiction operations.
-Source: The Hindu, The Indian Express
