Malabar Exercise - 2020

In News

• Phase-I of the Malabar Naval Exercise started making the biggest such joint Exercise of India.

About

• Malabar Exercise is a multilateral naval exercise that includes simulated war games and combat manoeuvre. It started in 1992 between Indian & US Navies.
• Japan Joined in 2015.
• The Malabar exercise this year is especially significant with the participation of Australia, thus covering all member of the Quad, an informal group of the fore biggest democracies in the Indo-Pacific Region.
• This time Malabar-2020 will be in two phase. Phase-I in Bay of Bengal Phase-II in Indian ocean.
• Exercise this year has been planned on a ‘Non-contact-at Sea’ format in view of the Covid-19.

Conclusion

• Malabar Exercise started as bilateral training drill, rear the year it assumed a multilateral nature first with the entry of Japan and now Australia becoming a part of it since last most.
• As of now, it is the only military exercise of the Quad an alliance of India, USA, Japan & Australia-that was formed to counter China’s expansionist role in the Indian Ocean Region.