About:

• Malabar Exercise is an annual trilateral naval exercise between the navies of India, Japan, and the USA which is held alternately in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
• It began as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the USA in 1992 and was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.

Why in News?

The Ministry of Defence recently announced that Australia will join the Malabar 2020 naval exercise.

Significance of Malabar 2020

• This year, the exercise had been planned on a ‘non-contact – at sea’ format.
• As India seeks to increase cooperation with other countries in the maritime security domain and in the light of increased defence cooperation with Australia, Malabar 2020 will see the participation of the Australian Navy.
• The decision to add Australia will make the upcoming iteration of Malabar the first exercise to include all four Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad.
• It will bolster the ability of India, Australia, Japan and the United States to work together to uphold peace and stability across our region.
• It showcases the “deep trust” between four major Indo-Pacific democracies and their “shared will” to work together on common security interests.

Reference:

1. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1665830
2. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/australia-to-join-malabar-naval-exercise-next-month/article32892277.ece