India, US, Japan Begin Malabar Joint Naval Exercise Close To South China Sea

New Delhi: India, Japan and the US today began their marine war games, Malabar Exercise, near Okinawa Island - about 400 kilometres from the contested Senkaku Islands - hunting for Chinese submarines, ships, recreating scenario of countering a hostile Chinese People' Liberation Army (Navy).

Earlier in 2013, China unilaterally established an Aircraft Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea (ECS ADIZ) triggering protest from Japan, USA, European Union and Australia. Besides, China has claimed several islands in East and South China Sea.

The exercise, the annually held Malabar, has been recently expanded from a bilateral comprising India and US to a trilateral exercise to include Japan. This year the over-all control of the exercise will be with Japan.

Over 100 assets - warships, fighters and surveillance aircrafts - will be participating in this year's Malabar, indicating the size and intent of the exercise. These 100 assets including the super carrier Nimitz class, the USS John C Stennis, over 20 major warships, about 50 anti-submarine warfare helicopters, long range maritime surveillance aircraft, and over 100 aircraft including Super Hornet fighters.
 
India is fielding its top of the line Indian-made stealth frigates INS Sahyadri and INS Satpura, Indian fleet tanker INS Shakti and INS Kirch - a missile corvette. Apart from this a detachment of Indian Marine Commandos and an anti-submarine warfare aircraft will also participate in the week long exercise. Japan will be fielding the JS Hyuga - helicopter carrier and destroyer - the largest warship in the stable of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force.

One key elements of the exercise is anti-submarine warfare where three forces will create a scenario of hunting down Chinese submarines. This comes at a time when Chinese nuclear submarines are being increasingly spotted in the western sea board of India.  

"The exercise will try and formulate procedure and validate maritime operations and tactics," a top Navy officer told NDTV and added that in the larger framework "the exercise will strengthen the Indo-Japan-US Naval cooperation".

Besides, anti-submarine warfare, the three navies will be enacting scenarios of anti-surface warfare and air defence. In simple terms it amounts to recreating a scenario where a belligerent Chinese military needs to be countered.

China's aggressive stand in the East and South China Sea have raised concern globally. While the US has carried out Freedom of Navigation (FoN) exercises in the area directly challenging China's claims, India and several other countries have raised the issue of freedom of navigation through oceans to counter China.