India,
United States and Japan navies have started 2015 Malabar Naval Exercise of the
eastern coast in Bay of Bengal and India Ocean. The high-end warfighting and
complex trilateral exercise is part of annual series of exercises conducted to
advance multi-national maritime relationships and mutual security issues.
"Malabar 2015 is a latest in the
continuing series of exercises conducted to advance multi-national maritime
relationships and mutual security issues," it said.
During the
exercise which includes both "ashore" and "at-sea
training", there would be knowledge sharing sessions on carrier strike
group operations, maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, among others.
This is the
first such drill involving navies of three countries in the Bay of Bengal in
eight years, a move likely to concern China.
The last
time New Delhi hosted multilateral drills in its waters in 2007 prompted
disquiet in China where some saw it as a US-inspired security grouping on the
lines of Nato in Europe.
The joint
fleet of 3 navies will include warships, aircraft carriers and fast attack
submarines. Total Ten ships, five from India, four from US and one from Japan
are participating. US Ships: Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt embarked
with Carrier Air Wing 1 having 90 fighter aircrafts. Guided-missile cruiser USS
Normandy (CG60), USS Nimitz, Littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), P-8A
Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and fast attack nuclear submarine.
Indian Ships: Rajput class destroyer, 2 other ships, a conventional submarine
and a P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft. Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force
is deploying an Akizuki-class guided missile destroyer.
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