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India is now going to conduct a special exercise in the Bay of Bengal along with the QUAD countries i.e. America, Japan and Australia. It is reported that till now there is no plan to invite any fifth country in the 28th Malabar naval exercise. However, till now nothing has been said officially by the army. The special thing is that all this is going to happen at a time when China is continuously showing strength in the South China Sea and is making its presence felt in the Indian Ocean Region i.e. IOR.
The Times of India report quoted sources as saying that the exercise will take place in India’s eastern sea region in October. During this, special attention will be given to anti-submarine warfare. According to the report, sources say, ‘The Malabar exercise will have complex, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare drills. Along with this, there will be many advanced exercises. So far there is no plan to invite any other fifth country.’
The China Factor
It is being said that most countries have their eyes set on China. In fact, China has the world’s largest navy with 355 warships and submarines. It is also strengthening its neighbors in the South China Sea, especially the Philippines. Apart from this, it has also built some artificial islands.
China’s growing presence in the IOR is also becoming a matter of concern. According to the report, China had prepared its first overseas base in Djibouti in August 2017 and is now again looking for logistics facilities on the east coast of Africa. Sources told the newspaper, ‘China is making bets in many countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros.’
He said, ‘Beijing has unhindered access to the Pakistani ports of Gwadar and Karachi. Chinese warships are also present in the IOR as part of anti-piracy escort forces.’ Also, China’s survey and research vessels as well as satellite and missile tracking ships are almost always present in the IOR.
“The Malabar exercise is about the strong relationships between the four countries, shared values and their collective ability to ensure an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific, which China is trying to disrupt,” a source told the newspaper.
The Malabar exercise started between India and America in the year 1992, of which Japan and Australia have also become a part now. It was organized in Sydney in August last year. At the same time, in 2022 it was organized in Yokosuka, Japan.
