Malabar 2024: Four-Nation Naval Drill Starting Today

Visakhapatnam: The naval maritime exercise, Malabar 2024, will begin with harbour exercises here from Tuesday.

A senior naval official said ships from the US, Japan and Australia would start arriving on Tuesday. The 10-day exercises would close on October 18.

Apart from host India, the exercise will see participation of Australia, Japan and the United States.

Exercise Malabar, which began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between the US and Indian Navy, has evolved into a key multilateral event aimed at enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual understanding, and addressing shared maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region.

An expert in defence analysis said the exercise is a demonstration of the joint commitment of all four nations to address common maritime challenges across the spectrum of operations and will go a long way in enhancing maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region for the benefit of the global maritime community.

The exercise will feature the participation of various Indian naval platforms, including guided missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, submarines, fixed-wing MR, fighter aircraft and helicopters.

While Australia will deploy HMAS Stuart, an Anzac Class Frigate with its MH-60R helicopter and P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, the US Navy will field the USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer with its integral helicopter and P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Japan will join the exercise with JS Ariake, a Murasame-class Destroyer.