Australia joining Malabar naval exercise a case of perfect timing

Coming close on the heels of the Foreign Ministerial Quad meet in Tokyo earlier this month, the announcement of Australian Navy’s participation in the annual joint naval exercise Malabar has come after much speculation. But this is not Australia’s first participation in the Malabar exercise. Australia in 2007 has already been part of this originally Indo-US bilateral joint naval exercise, which later became trilateral with the entry of Japan, along with Singapore as the fifth participant the same year.

Australia’s hasty exit and prolonged evasion from the Democratic Security Diamond – a lexicon coined by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for Quad, was ascribed to the heavy Chinese pressure on Australian trade dependence.

Retired Rear Admiral Sudarshan Shrikhande of the Indian Navy, who served as the Indian Defence Adviser in Australia says, “Australia had participated in the Malabar exercise in 2007 in the Bay of Bengal along with US, Japan, Indian and Singapore navies. I feel that Australia now being invited to rejoin the series might even send the correct message to all our friends across the Indo-Pacific to see this coming together of the Quad navies for the larger good and to send a message to China as well."

Calling it a milestone opportunity, Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said, "High-end military exercises like Malabar are key to enhancing Australia’s maritime capabilities, building interoperability with our close partners, and demonstrating our collective resolve to support an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

Rear Admiral Shrikhande further adds, “With both countries in the Indo-Pacific, India at the centre, and Australia at the Eastern edge, this relationship between two democracies matters a lot. With the signing of the Mutual Support Logistics Agreement, the security relationship seems poised to acquire more substance. This agreement facilitates easier fuel and other logistics support during exercises or any activities the militaries might undertake including humanitarian or constabulary tasks. It will help India achieve reach and sustainability in our own interest, as it would in Australia’s interest."

Its interesting to note that the exercise to be held in mid-November in the Bay of Bengal comes after the Indo-US 2+2 being held in New Delhi today where the much-awaited Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial cooperation, is being touted to be on top of the table for signing. India signed a similar strategic agreement with Australia in June this year at a virtual summit, namely the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement – MLSA (similar to a US-India agreement) and a Defence Science and Technology Implementing Arrangement – DSTIA.

Likewise, India and Japan signed the long pending Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in September this year. Only the nomenclature seems to be different but all these enabling pacts serve the same purpose which is to grant access to each other’s bases and platforms for replenishment, repair, supplies and services, including spare parts and fuel, during bilateral exercises, humanitarian activities and peacekeeping operations.

India has similar agreements with France and Singapore too. Japan separately has similar agreements with the US, UK and Canada. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne has said, “It will bolster the ability of India, Australia, Japan and the United States to work together to uphold peace and stability across our region.”

Though nations have maintained that the Quad is non-military in its texture but a joint naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal amidst the ongoing Indo-China border standoff is a signaling of a different kind.

Former Ambassador to Australia, Navdeep Suri says, “Australia has been wanting to join the Malabar exercise for the past four years but was never invited, it is China who has lent momentum to this entry, through its aggressive posturing, whether its unleashing a trade war on Australia, or its expansionism towards Taiwan, Vietnam, India. China knows fully well that 38 per cent of Australian exports go to China. In the past three years, Indo-Australia bilateral relations have deepened with the present leadership on both sides, hence the nod to Australian entry was inevitable.”

China expert Jayadev Ranade however brings in the US angle, “The US Presidential elections will be an important determinant of the Quad's future. If the next President continues current pressure on China without ifs and buts, then the grouping will probably gather more members and become a force for ensuring neutrality of commercial and civil shipping in the South China Sea and in turn restricting aggressive Chinese actions in these maritime areas. Australia will remain an active participant.”.