SOURCE: TIMES NOW
Military exercises with foreign countries, cancelled because of the Covid crisis, are being planned again. Exercises bring the armed forces of friendly countries closer, making them better prepared. And for the last four months, there weren’t any taking place.
Now, assuming that the Covid may be less of a problem in the coming months, new plans are being made.
• Japan, which also has some differences with China, is keen to begin exercises with India in the Indian Ocean. The exercise could involve two to three warships of Japan’s Self Defence Force. There is talk of the exercise happening in September.
• The French have also expressed their keenness for getting back to the Varuna series of exercises. This instalment may be done in the Arabian Sea. They also want India to participate in a European Maritime Awareness project in the strategic and also unstable Straits of Hormuz area in the Gulf.
• There is also the possibility of Exercise Malabar happening in November. And this has a certain sensitivity as the Chinese, who are still eyeball-to-eyeball with the Indian Army in Ladakh, are moving towards a Cold War with the United States. It has to be seen if this instalment of Malabar will involve just India, Japan and the United States or that Australia is also roped in. If Australia does participate, all four Quad countries will be part of Malabar. A decision on Australia’s participation is yet to be taken.
