Australian, Indian, Japanese, and US forces participated in Exercise Malabar 2025, in and around the island of Guam, from November 10 to 18.
This year marks the 29th iteration of the Malabar exercise, which began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the United States and India. The exercise has since evolved in scope and complexity and now includes Japan and Australia.
This marks the sixth time that all four nations have participated in Malabar to advance the collective planning, integration, and employment of advanced warfare tactics across participating nations.
Participants included the Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat, the Indian Navy Shivalik-class guided-missile stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga.
US participation included a P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Commander, Task Force 72, a US Navy submarine assigned to Commander, Task Force 74, an explosive ordnance disposal mobile unit assigned to Commander, Task Force 75, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald operating under Commander, Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the US Seventh Fleet’s principal surface force.
Australian, Indian, Japanese, and US maritime forces routinely operate together across the Indo-Pacific in support of regional security and stability.
The lead for this year's exercise was the United States. The Malabar planning and exercise lead rotates each year among participating nations, along with the exercise location to demonstrate the combined ability to exercise across the entire Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.
