The 10-day Exercise begins on June 7.
The Indian Navy has announced that three of its ships will participate in the 22nd edition of Exercise Malabar that will be held in the coast of Guam from June 7-16.
According to the official website of press information bureau, the Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shakti and Kamorta will reach the coast of Guam on June 7 under the command of Rear Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
The three naval vessels that come under the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy are currently on an overseas deployment to South East Asia and the Western Pacific.
All three Indian Naval Ships are scheduled to reach Guam on 07 June 18 for the Harbour Phase of the exercise.
Notably, this is the first time in the history of Exercise Malabar that the naval exercises are to be conducted in the coast of Guam, which is a U.S. island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific.
In addition to this, the Malabar Exercise 2018 will be the first after the US announced the renaming of its Hawaii-based Pacific Command as the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Malabar 2017 was held in July last year on the Eastern Sea Board of India, off Chennai and Visakhapatnam. Malabar 2018 will have the participation of navies from India, the US and Japan.
The Malabar Exercise is a 26 year old tradition involving the navies of the United States, India and Japan and addressing the increasing security threats posed in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, the naval exercise plays a significant role in mutual understanding, interoperability, and sharing of the best practices between the three navies.
This year’s naval exercise will feature professional interactions during the Harbour Phase in Guam from June 7-10. The Sea Phase from June 11-16 includes a diverse range of activities at sea including Aircraft Carrier operations, Air Defence, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Surface Warfare, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), Joint Manoeuvres and Tactical procedures.
The Indian Navy will be represented by two home manufactured ships, the multi-purpose stealth frigate, INS Sahyadri and the Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette, INS Kamorta. Accompanying them will be the Fleet Tanker INS Shakti and Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I.
The US Navy forces will include the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan with its air wing; two Ticonderoga class cruisers, USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville; two Arleigh Burke class destroyers, USS Benfold and USS Mustin; a Los Angeles-class attack submarine and one Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8A.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) would be represented by a Hyuga class helicopter carrier JS Ise with integral helicopters; Takanami class destroyer JS Suzunami; Akizuki class destroyer JS Fuyuzuki. Japanese Maritime Patrol Aircraft, P1 and a submarine.