INDIA. Mumbai: The Indian Navy (IN) would be participating in the Second Phase of Multilateral Maritime Exercise Malabar along with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and the United States Navy (USN) from Tuesday onwards. The first phase of the exercise was conducted in the Philippines Sea from August 26 to August 29.
The exercise will be held in the Bay of Bengal from October 12 to October 15. The Bay of Bengal in the north-eastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. It is the largest water region called a bay in the world.
The Indian Navy’s participation includes INS Ranvijay, INS Satpura, P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, and a Submarine. The US Navy will be represented by the Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson along with two destroyers, USS Lake Champlain and USS Stockdale. The JMSDF will be represented by JS Kaga and JS Murasame. While the Royal Australian Navy will be represented by HMAS Ballarat and HMAS Sirius.
The Second Phase of the exercise would build upon the synergy, coordination, and interoperability developed during the First Phase of the exercise and would focus on advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, seamanship evolution, and weapon firings, a Defence spokesman said.
The Malabar series of exercises, which began as an annual bilateral naval exercise between India and the US in 1992, has seen increasing scope and complexity over the years. The 25th edition of Malabar, being conducted in two phases, while observing all protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, is reflective of the commitment of the participating countries to support a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific as well as a rules-based international order.
Dilli Series
In the meanwhile, the 8th annual ‘Dilli Series’ Sea Power Webinar, organized by the Indian Naval Academy, will be streamed live on popular social media platforms on October 11 and October 12.
The keynote address will be by Admiral Arun Prakash, former Chief of Naval staff. The event will feature talks by several eminent maritime experts including Dr. Harsh V Pant, Director, Studies & Head of Strategic Studies Program at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). Dr. Shashi Tharoor will deliver an Invitational talk at the webinar. Naval historian, Commodore Srikant Kesnur would be moderating the final session.
The two-day event will address the full spectrum of Maritime History of the Indian Ocean Region under three sub-themes. Sub-theme 1 will cover the earliest maritime linkages between India and the rest of the world, which remain relevant even today and continue to play a vital role in India’s maritime context.
Sub-theme 2 of the Webinar is based on India’s Maritime Journey from the 15th to 19th Century and the important lessons learnt concerning the importance of maintaining Indian influence in the maritime region. The final sub-theme is based on lessons learnt from India’s Maritime Journey – British Raj to Independence and Beyond. The webinar will culminate with a Panel Discussion on “Indian Navy through the Decades (75 years)”.
