Updated By: LatestGKGS Desk
MALABAR NAVAL WAR GAME EXERCISE STARTED IN GUAM FROM 7th JUNE 2018
MALABAR NAVAL EXERCISE STARTED IN GUAM FROM 7th JUNE 2018
The Malabar 2018, a trilateral naval exercise between India, Japan, and the United States began on the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea.
The 22nd edition of Malabar naval exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 7th June 2018 to 16th June 2018. It has now become an annual feature in deep military ties between India and US.
It will be first naval wargame after US renamed its Hawaii-based Pacific Command (PACOM) as Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) amid increased Chinese activities of building artificial islands in the South China Sea and sending submarines into the Indian Ocean.
The Malabar-2018 exercise will focus on high-end war-fighting skillsets, subject matter expert and professional exchanges.
The Malabar-2018 will also include combined carrier strike group operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare, medical operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, damage control, helicopter operations and visit, board, search and seizure operations
Malabar Exercise
The Malabar exercise was started in 1992 as joint Indo-US naval drill. Since then it is held annually. But it was suspended from 1998 to 2002 after India conducted nuclear weapons tests in 1998. Japan became a permanent participant in 2015.
The main aim of this multilateral Malabar exercise is to increase interoperability amongst navies of three countries and develop a common understanding of procedures for Maritime Security Operations and deepen defence relations between them.
