The second phase of the Malabar 2020 joint naval exercise, hosted by the Indian Navy and attended by the U.S. Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, officially began on November 17 and will continue until the 20th, in the northern Arabian Sea. The first phase of the exercise was completed in the Bay of Bengal from Nov. 3-6. Compared with the first phase, the second phase of the exercise is more complex, the Indian Navy “Vikramaditya” aircraft carrier and the U.S. Navy “Nimitz” aircraft carrier are involved.
The second phase of the exercise will see joint maritime operations centered around the USS Vikramaditya and USS Nimitz carrier strike groups, an Indian Navy spokesman said on March 16. The two carriers, along with other surface ships, submarines and aircraft participating in the exercise, will conduct high-intensity operations over the next four days, including cross-deck flight operations and high-end air defense exercises involving MiG-29K fighters, F-18s and E-2C early warning aircraft. High-end surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare exercises, weapons firings, and other activities will also be conducted to further enhance interoperability and synergy among the four navies.
The Royal Australian Navy has been invited back to participate in Malabar, which began in 1992, for the 24th time this year. “Malabar is an important opportunity to demonstrate the strength of our strategic partnership in a high-end exercise,” said Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, commander of U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 11. “The Nimitz Strike Group team is grateful to our Australian, Indian and Japanese partners who have joined us and improved our readiness and interoperability.”
“We look forward to the second phase of the exercise as it will provide Ballarat with an opportunity to operate with modern, leading-edge maritime capabilities,” said Anzac-class guided-missile frigate HMAS Ballarat commander Anthony Pisani, commander of the Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Ballarat. (Pisani) said. “Our changing maritime and security environment underscores the need to work with our close partners to advance our collective interests in a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Pisani said.
The Indian Navy’s participants in the exercise included the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya with its fleet of fighter jets and helicopters, destroyers Kolkata and Chennai, stealth frigate “The USS Tarvar, the supply ship Deepak, helicopters, the submarine USS Candley, and P-8I anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The U.S. Navy’s participation includes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its escorts, the cruiser USS Princeton and the destroyer USS Streeter, as well as the P-8A. Anti-submarine patrol aircraft will also participate. Australia is participating in the Bharat Ratri frigate and its MH-60 helicopter.
The Indian media still mentions China in their coverage of the second phase of the exercise, saying that it coincides with a military confrontation between China and India in the border region. In addition, the Indian media noted that at an event on November 6, Chief of Naval Staff Karambir Singh said, “The great power rivalry is going on very strongly in the Indian Ocean region and the Indian Navy has stepped up its surveillance and activities in the Indian Ocean region to stop China’s ambitions.
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