Page 8 - TIE 120420

NATION DECEMBER 04, 2020 | The Indian Eye 8

IndIan Ocean War Games:

Why Indian navy is engaging

with Quad and russia

China has challenged India’s regional heft in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region

Our Bureau
New Delhi

ndia kicked off a two-day
naval exercise with Russia
Iin the eastern Indian Ocean
Region (IOR) on Friday, strik-
ing a balance after the high-volt-
age Malabar wargames with the
other three “Quad” countries,
the US, Japan and Australia,
last month.

india has deployed its

guided missile stealth

frigate ins shivalik and

anti-submarine warfare
corvette ins Kadmatt,

along with their integral indian navy ships shivalik & Kadmatt carrying out Passage exercise (PAsseX) with russian Federation Navy

helicopters, for the “pas- (ruFN) ships Varyag, Admiral Panteleyev & Pechenga in the eastern indian ocean region (ior) on Friday. (ANi)

sage exercise” with rus- Navy spokesperson Commander at Vladivostok in October 2017. dian arms deals worth $21 billion
sia. the russian warships, Vivek Madhwal. The second edition was held in just since 2007, even overtaking

“The Indian Navy regularly India in December 2019.
Russia in annual sales for a cou-
in turn, include guided conducts passage exercises with Though Russia has been In- ple of years.
missile cruiser Varyag, warships of friendly foreign navies dia’s largest defence supplier for At the end of the second

large anti-submarine war- while visiting each other’s ports long, notching up military sales decade of the 21st century, In-
or during a rendezvous at sea. worth over $60 billion since the dia’s interests demand bonding
ship admiral Panteleyev This exercise reflects the strong 1960s, their armed forces did not with powerful friends, which can
and medium ocean tanker long-term strategic relationship exercise much together till re- change the economic and military
between India and Russia, espe- cently.
balance of power vis-a-vis China.
Pechenga. cially defence cooperation in the In sharp contrast, India and That is where Japan, Australia
maritime domain,” he added. the US hold a flurry of exercises and the United States, which
“The exercise is aimed at India and Russia conduct every year, ranging from the top- together with India form the In-
enhancing interoperability, im- their major `Indra’ naval exer- notch naval Malabar wargames do-Pacific Quad, come in. Why is
proving understanding and im- cise biennially, with the last edi- (with Japan being a regular par- countering China so important?
bibing best practices between the tion being held in the northern ticipant and Australia also being Buoyed by its economic rise, and
two friendly navies. It will involve IOR in September this year. The invited this year after a gap of wanting to supplement its wealth
advanced surface and anti-sub- two countries also undertook 13 years) to the counter-terror with global political pre-emi-
marine warfare exercises, weap- their first tri-Service Indra exer- Vajra Prahar and Yudh Abhyas nence, China has silently slipped
on firings, seamanship exercises cise, with participation from the ones between their armies. The
and helicopter operations,” said two armies, navies and air forces, US has also bagged lucrative In- Continued at next page... >>

www.TheIndianEYE .us