India, US & Japan to conduct joint naval exercise

NEWDELHI: India and the US are all set to conduct naval exercise Malabar in the Bay of Bengal in July, the first major military drill after Donald Trump took over as President.

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force will also participate in the naval drill that will be bigger and more complex than all previous editions.

Indian Navy sources said a planning conference would be held soon in the US to firm up the dates and warships that will take part in the exercise. This will be followed by a final planning conference in India where the scenarios to be simulated during the exercise will be finalised.

China has been suspicious of the trilateral engagement and has even lodged protests over Japan’s participation. Beijing is expected to closely monitor the exercise at a time when the Chinese navy is expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean region.

An Indian Navy officer said the drills could see the participation of aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines and frontline warships. He said the P-8I and the P-8A ‘submarine hunter’ planes of the Indian and US navies would also be involved in the drills, simulating anti-submarine warfare missions.

“The exact composition of the participating units will be known after the final planning conference is over. But the drills will be more complex than any previous engagement,” he added.