Japan to host 2022 Malabar exercise
Japan will host the 2022 international Malabar naval exercise beginning today.
Originally a bilateral exercise between the US and Indian navies, in recent years Malabar has grown with the addition of Japan in 2007 and Australia in 2020. Participating countries reflect partners that share similar values of a free, fair and open Indo-Pacific.
These four countries, known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or ‘Quad’, will seek to increase naval operational cooperation amongst themselves through activities and drills such as anti-submarine warfare, counter-piracy operations, and gunnery exercises.
The exercises will likely provoke a negative reaction from China, which may retaliate by increasing the frequency of its military exercises in the South China Sea.
North Korea will also continue to justify increasing its missile tests in the Korean Peninsula with these exercises being conducted in Japan. The presence of the US Navy in regional waters as well as its bilateral air drills with South Korea will continue to stoke North Korea’s retaliation and aggression in the region.
