The IN, under the command of Rear Adm Ajay Kochhar, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, participated with indigenous guided missile destroyer, INS Kochi (with Sea King MK 42B helicopter) and the Guided Missile Frigate INS Teg (with search-and-rescue capable Chetak helicopter). The IN also fielded a P8I, a shore-based maritime reconnaissance aircraft and MiG 29K fighters. The JMSDF was led by Rear Adm IkeuchiIzuru, Commander, Escort Flotilla Three comprising of the Izumo-class helicopter carrier Kaga and the guided missile destroyer Murasame. Both ships participated with integral SH60K helicopters.
Setting the operational tempo from the start, the units exercised war-at-sea scenario with P8I (IN) providing maritime reconnaissance support to both navies. The units practised replenishment at sea approaches and undertook fuel rig connect-up between Kaga and Kochi. The exercise also involved complex over-the-horizon targeting exercises and surface gun shoots on an expendable target. An advanced coordinated anti-submarine exercise involving an underwater target deployed by JMSDF saw surface units and IN’s P8I aircraft exercising with seamless coordination. Flag officers of the two forces also met on the flight decks of Kochi and Kaga during flying operations, in keeping with the true spirit of military friendship.

The air domain operations included advanced anti-aircraft firing exercises on expendable aerial target launched from the deck of INS Kochi and ship controlled beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat drills by IN’s MiG 29K fighters. The exercise involved a high tempo of flying operations with MiG 29K fighters coming in for multiple simulated air strike on surface units, shepherded by the IN’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Dornier. The inclement weather did little to hold back IN and JMSDF helicopters from undertaking cross-deck landings, showcasing a high level of interoperability.

The precision, coordination and the high level of interoperability reflected the high standards of professionalism and preparedness the two navies maintain to counter threats at sea, and also high level of trust and understanding that they have built over the years. The complex maritime exercises undertaken will enable the two navies to further strengthen their already wide-ranging strategic partnership and, when required, to jointly safeguard their maritime interests and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, both the Indian and Japanese naval forces had been active outside of JIMEX as well. The Indian Navy conducted the fourth edition of AUSINDEX, between the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. During the exercises from September 6-10, the Indian contingent included INS Shivalik and Kadmatt, the most recent indigenously designed and developed guided missile stealth frigate and anti-submarine corvette respectively, part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based in Visakhapatnam in southern India. The Australian side was represented by the Anzac-class frigate HMAS Warramunga, which also took part in the Malabar exercises. According to an Indian press release, the 2021 edition of AUSINDEX included complex surface, sub-surface, and air operations between ships, submarines, helicopters, and long-range maritime patrol aircraft of the participating navies, with the goal of strengthening interoperability and developing a shared understanding of processes and procedures for maritime security operations.

The JMSDF, too, had a busy schedule. There was a major naval exercise in the waters off the southeast of Okinawa involving six participating navies – the U.S. Navy, the U.K. Royal Navy, the JMSDF, the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy – with a total of 17 surface ships, including four aircraft carriers. According to a press release issued by the JMSDF, the exercise was meant to bolster the Japanese forces’ “tactical skills and interoperability with the participating navies.” The exercise involved anti-submarine warfare, air defense warfare, tactical movement, and communications training.

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Indian Navy’s largest war game – the biennial theatre-level operational readiness exercise (TROPEX 21) – commenced in early January, with participation of all operational units of Indian Navy including ships, submarines, aircraft as well as units of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard. The exercise will culminate by third week of February.

The exercise was conducted over a vast geographical expanse in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including its adjunct waters and was aimed at testing combat readiness of the Navy in a complex multi-dimensional scenario set in the context of the current geo-strategic environment. The theatre-level exercise also aimed to validate the Navy’s offensive-defence capabilities, safeguard national interests in the maritime domain and promote stability and peace in the Indian Ocean Region. The conduct of TROPEX was overseen by Naval HQ with participation from all three Commands of the Indian Navy and the Tri-Services Command at Port Blair.

TROPEX was progressed over distinct phases that also tested the Navy’s transition from peacetime to hostilities. In the first phase, the Indian Navy had conducted coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ along the entire coastline and Island territories of India on 12-13 January 2021. This exercise aimed to validate the coastal defence setup of the country, which was entirely revamped after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. The exercise witnessed large-scale participation from the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police of 13 coastal states and Union Territories along with other stakeholders in the maritime domain. Valuable lessons emerging from the exercise were incorporated in the existing procedures to further fine-tune the coastal defence architecture of the country.

Exercise Sea Vigil was followed by a large-scale Tri-Service joint amphibious exercise AMPHEX-21, which was conducted in the Andaman & Nicobar group of Islands from 21-25 January. The amphibious exercise was aimed at validating India’s capabilities to safeguard the territorial integrity of its Island territories and enhance operational synergy and joint war-fighting capabilities amongst the three Services.

The Weapon Workup Phase of TROPEX witnessed multiple ‘on-target’ ordnance deliveries including missiles, torpedoes and rockets from frontline warships, aircraft and submarines and demonstrated the lethal firepower of the Indian Navy and reaffirmed the Navy’s capability to carry out long-range maritime strikes in the IOR, a capability that is central to meeting operational challenges and ensuring safe seas and secure coasts.

The exercise put to test and validated the Navy’s concept of operations in various conflict scenarios, honed its war-fighting skills, bolstered its role towards maritime security in the wider IOR and was in keeping with the theme of being a ‘Combat Ready, Credible and Cohesive Force.’

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The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton, as part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG), conducted a cooperative deployment with ships and aircraft from the Indian Navy July 20 and 21.

The two navies conducted multiple exercises while operating together, including a live-fire exercise, an air defence exercise (ADEX), flight operations and a farewell passing exercise.

During the ADEX four ships of the Indian Navy joined Princeton and Sterett to defend each other against simulated threat aircraft and missiles. Ships and crew from both sides were able to achieve a high level of integration and cooperation while conducting many events to include gunnery and air defense exercises.

Along with the ADEX, the two navies also conducted flight operations to solidify the capability of landing American helicopters on the Indian ships, and landing Indian helicopters on the American ships.

The joint exercise raised the diplomatic heat on China. While it was described as a routine “passex” (basic naval exercises when warships of two navies pass by each other in the oceans), the subtext pointed to a subtle demonstration of US-India partnership even as India and China were engaged in a slow disengagement process after the Galwan incident.

The series of exercises, weeks after a similar joint drill with Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean, were meant to  be a cause of worry and anxiety for Beijing.

India has improved its military ties with the US and also strengthened security and strategic ties with Australia, an important partner in the emerging anti-China coalition. The Australia-India Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and the Defence Science and Technology Implementing Arrangement are two very significant steps in deepening our ties in the emerging Indo-Pacific security and trade architecture.

India shares the security concerns of the countries in the South China Sea and strongly condemns China’s hegemonic moves. India’s IOR strategy includes a robust naval policy and diplomatic outreach towards the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) countries.

India has revived certain naval/maritime possibilities and these include the likelihood of inviting Australia to join the India-US-Japan trilateral Malabar naval exercises towards the end of the year. This points to reviving the Quad — a group of four nations that came under one umbrella for the first time in the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami.

Earlier, in 2007, India had mounted a Quad-plus Singapore five-nation naval exercise. China then bristled at what it considered to be a latent threat. Delhi, then, chose to placate Beijing’s concerns by reverting to a bilateral Malabar with the US.

Beijing perceives itself vulnerable in the Indo-Pacific given its enormous dependence on unimpeded merchant shipping, which is predicated on the freedom of the oceans and the sea-lines of communication.

Any new realignment of forces such as the China-Pakistan-Turkey-Iran axis will be highly detrimental to India’s security and strategic position in the region. Neither the US nor India can independently take on a hegemonic and expansionist China, which has scant respect for global rule-based order and transparent trade system.

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