Quad coalition’s naval drill in Indian Ocean Region ends

New Delhi, Nov 20 : The Malabar exercise between navies of the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition — an informal security forum comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia — in the Indian Ocean Region concluded on Friday.
The naval drill of the Quad members holds significance as China is making attempts to get a wider footprint in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific region spans’s from the west coast of India to the US’ west coast.
The exercise, hosted by the Indian Navy, took place in two phases in November.
The first phase of the exercise involving participation by the Indian Navy, the United States Navy, the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and the Royal Australian Navy, was conducted off Visakhapatnam in Bay of Bengal from November 3 to November 6. The second phase was conducted in the Arabian Sea from November 17, to November 20.
The first phase of Malabar witnessed participation of Indian Navy units with United States Ship (USS) John S McCain, Her Majesty’s Australian Ship (HMAS) Ballarat with integral MH-60 helicopter, and Japan Maritime Self Defence Ship Onami, with integral SH-60 helicopter.