New Delhi: The navies of India, the United States, Japan and Australia have kicked off Exercise Malabar 2026, bringing together their warships for advanced multi-domain maritime operations in the Indo-Pacific. Representing India, the Navy’s indigenous guided-missile stealth frigate INS Sahyadri arrived at Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base on Wednesday to take part in the multilateral drills.
The Navy’s Eastern Fleet warship received a warm welcome from the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) upon its arrival. Vice Admiral Yagi Koji, commandant of Yokosuka district, and R Madhu Sudan, deputy chief of the Indian mission, attended the welcome ceremony.
The exercise will be conducted in two phases, covering both harbour-based activities and operations at sea. The harbour phase will include professional interactions, knowledge sharing and joint operational planning among the participating naval contingents.
This will be followed by the sea phase, during which INS Sahyadri will operate alongside naval assets from Japan, the United States and Australia. The drills will focus on improving operational coordination, interoperability and the ability of the participating navies to conduct joint maritime operations.
Announcing the commencement of the exercise, the US embassy in India said in a post on X that the four navies were undertaking advanced multi-domain training. It said the exercise aims to strengthen operational coordination and maritime capabilities in support of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
What is Exercise Malabar?
Exercise Malabar began in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the United States. Japan became a permanent member in 2015 and Australia joined the four-country format in 2020.
The exercise has grown over the years to include complex naval operations and multi-domain warfare training. It offers the participating navies a chance to train coordinated operations, share professional expertise and improve their ability to work together at sea.
The drills cover several aspects of naval warfare, including antisubmarine warfare, surface warfare, air defence, maritime interdiction and fleet manoeuvres. These engagements also help participating forces understand each other’s operational procedures and capabilities.
The previous edition, Malabar 2025, was hosted by the United States around Guam in the Northern Pacific from November 10 to 18. The 29th edition brought together naval forces from all four countries, with INS Sahyadri representing the Indian Navy.
Other participating warships included the US Navy’s USS Fitzgerald, Japan’s helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga and Australia’s HMAS Ballarat. The exercise featured antisubmarine and anti surface warfare drills, gunnery exercises, maritime interdiction operations, information sharing and cross-deck helicopter operations.
India’s participation in the 2026 edition is indicative of its sustained naval engagement with regional partners. The deployment is also in line with India’s Mahasagar vision to promote regional cooperation, maritime security and collective growth in the maritime sphere.