Malabar Exercise 2025 | 10 Nov 2025
The annual Malabar exercise, involving India, the US, Australia, and Japan (Quad countries) has commenced in the Northern Pacific near Guam.
- Guam, a US territory in the Pacific, holds strategic relevance due to its proximity to East Asia and contested waters like the South China Sea.
- INS Sahyadri, an indigenously designed, stealth guided-missile frigate, represents India in this year's MALABAR exercise.
Malabar Exercise
- About: It started as an annual bilateral naval drill between India and the US in 1992. Japan joined in 2015, and Australia participated in Malabar 2020, making it a four-nation exercise under the Quad framework.
- It highlights the convergence of views among the participating countries on maritime issues and their shared commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order.
- Objectives: To improve interoperability, coordination, and communication, focusing on joint fleet operations, anti-submarine warfare, gunnery drills, and airborne maritime missions.
- Strategic Significance: It strengthens Quad military interoperability, coordinated maritime operations, and freedom of navigation.
- Quad: It is a strategic forum of the US, Japan, India, and Australia focused on regional security and economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
- India’s participation in Quad strengthens its strategic maritime MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision.
| Read More: Quad Marks 20 Years of Cooperation |