What happened?
On September 3, 2025 it was confirmed that India, the United States, Japan, and Australia will go ahead with the annual Malabar maritime exercise in November, despite ongoing trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington. This year’s edition will be hosted by the US at Guam, a key military base in the western Pacific Ocean. Preparations are underway, with a joint planning conference scheduled in the coming weeks to finalise logistics, timelines, and operational scope. Malabar, which started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between India and the US, has since evolved into a major multilateral exercise under the Quad framework.
Why it matters to India
The continuation of Malabar underscores India’s commitment to strengthening security cooperation with Quad partners, even as trade frictions with the US remain unresolved. The exercise provides India with a platform to operate alongside advanced naval forces, share intelligence, and sharpen anti-submarine and maritime surveillance capabilities. With all four countries deploying similar maritime platforms, including submarine-hunting aircraft, Malabar enhances real-time coordination and strengthens collective deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.