Naval ships, aircrafts and personnel from India, Japan and the United States will participate in the 10-day long Malabar exercise beginning.The exercise will feature both ashore and at-sea training. Malabar 2017 is the latest in a continuing series of exercises that has grown in scope and complexity over the years to address the variety of shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific.
India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, Japan’s largest warship JS Izumo and super-carrier Nimitz of the United States will be part of the exercise. A number of other frontline ships, submarines and fighter jets of the three countries will be part of the drill.
While ashore in Chennai, training will include subject matter expert and professional exchanges on carrier strike group operations, maritime patrol, surface and anti-submarine warfare, damage control and explosive ordnance disposal.
The at-sea portions will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal and are designed to advance participating nations’ military-to-military coordination and capacity to plan and execute tactical operations in a multinational environment. Indian, Japanese and U.S. maritime forces have a common understanding and knowledge of a shared working environment at sea.
The exercise is one of the biggest exercises conducted in the Indian Ocean Region.