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The 29th edition of the Malabar naval exercise, one of the most significant multilateral maritime drills in the Indo-Pacific, kicked off on Monday at Guam, a key US military outpost in the western Pacific Ocean. The nine-day exercise (November 10–18) brings together the navies of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad).
The Indian Navy’s INS Sahyadri, a guided-missile stealth frigate, is participating alongside the US Navy’s USS Fitzgerald, the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Ballarat, and Japan’s JS Hyuga, a helicopter destroyer. The Indian Navy confirmed Sahyadri’s arrival at Guam on Sunday, noting that the deployment “reaffirms India’s enduring maritime partnerships and its commitment to strengthening regional security through enhanced interoperability.”
The exercise begins with a harbour phase (November 10–12), focusing on operational planning, communication alignment, cross-deck familiarisation, and sporting interactions among crews. The sea phase (November 13–17) will include complex naval manoeuvres covering joint fleet operations, anti-submarine warfare, gunnery exercises, and integrated air operations.
Strategic Context and Significance
This year’s Malabar holds particular importance as it marks the first major military engagement between India and the US since the signing of the new Framework for the US–India Major Defence Partnership last month. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Pete Hegseth formalised the agreement on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Malaysia on October 31, reaffirming that “defence will remain a major pillar” of bilateral relations.
Despite recent trade frictions and Washington’s recalibration of its Indo-Pacific priorities, New Delhi has chosen to sustain military cooperation through platforms like Malabar, a signal that defence ties remain insulated from political turbulence.
Meanwhile, the Cope India air combat exercise, which was to run concurrently in Gwalior with US F-35 fighters and B-1 bombers, has been deferred. The US has instead deployed a single B-1 bomber for limited “bomber integration sorties” with the Indian Air Force.
Evolving Quad Cooperation
Launched as a bilateral India–US drill in 1992, Exercise Malabar has transformed into a symbol of the Quad’s maritime synergy. All four participating nations operate advanced maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft capable of sharing real-time data to generate a common operational picture at sea. Their interoperable platforms and communication systems further underscore the collective ability to respond to shared security challenges.
Beijing continues to describe the Malabar exercise as an “anti-China” grouping, a label the participants reject; however, the exercise undeniably reflects the Quad’s growing alignment in response to China’s assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific. India, Japan, and Australia remain deeply concerned about Beijing’s grey-zone tactics, from the South and East China Seas to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.
Continuity Amid Change
Last year’s edition, hosted by India off the coast of Visakhapatnam, was among the most comprehensive yet. The 2025 iteration at Guam now extends that operational depth into the Pacific, reaffirming the Quad’s maritime solidarity even as political signals shift in Washington under the Trump administration.
By pressing ahead with Malabar, India and its partners have sent a clear message: strategic trust and maritime cooperation remain the cornerstone of Indo-Pacific stability and will endure beyond short-term political winds.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
