Sixteen ships, 95 aircraft and two submarines of India, US and Japanese maritime forces are taking part in the 21 edition of the naval exercise that will go on until July 17.
Amid the border standoff with China, the three-nation Malabar Naval Exercise involving India, Japan and the United States maritime forces, began here on Monday.
"I would like to say this is a strategic message to China. It (the message) would also be the same to Canada or to Republic of Korea or to Australia or to any other maritime force," US Navy Commander, Rear Admiral William D Byrne Jr told reporters after the inauguration of the five-day Exercise on-board INS Jalashwa.
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, who declared the five-day Naval Exercise open, said the Exercise indicated "a joint attempt to address common challenges and shared threat".
Sixteen ships, 95 aircraft and two submarines of India, US and Japanese maritime forces are taking part in the 21 edition of the naval exercise that will go on until July 17.
Admiral Bisht further clarified that the process of Malabar Exercise starts a year before and the initial planning takes place six months in advance. "The stand-off you are talking about has got nothing to do with the Malabar Exercise," he told reporters.
Rear Admiral William D Byrne, Commander, US Strike Group 11, said the only strategic message that was being sent to all navies is that "we are better together and eliminate possibilities of miscalculations."
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang had on Friday expressed hope that the upcoming joint Malabar naval exercise is not aimed at other countries. "We have no objection to the normal bilateral relations and cooperation among relevant countries, but we hope that this kind of relationship and cooperation will not be directed at any third party and will be conducive to regional peace and stability," he said.
Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, ships INS Jalashwa, INS Ranvir, INS Shivalik and INS Sahyadri are participating from Indian side, while the US is led by its aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other units from US Seventh Fleet besides a Los Angeles fast-attack submarine. Japan has deployed its warships JS Sazanami and JS Izumo.
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Sixteen ships, 95 aircraft and two submarines of India, US and Japanese maritime forces are taking part in the 21 edition of the naval exercise that will go on until July 17.
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