War Games: China Fumes at US, India, Japan Joint Naval Exercises
SputnikNews.com
06.07.2017
The 16th annual Malabar Naval Exercises between the United States, India and Japan will begin on Monday, July 9, and go until Tuesday the 17th. This year’s drills will come amid reports of increased Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean.
US ships involved in the exercises include the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its attached Carrier Air Wing Eleven, the cruiser USS Princeton and the guided missile destroyers USS Howard, USS Kidd and USS Shoup. Also involved are a Boeing P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine plane and a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, according to a US Navy statement. This totals about 6,500 US Navy personnel.
The Indian Navy, meanwhile, is sending their sole aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, to participate in the exercises. It will also include two Shivalik-class multi-role frigates, a Kora-class missile frigate, two destroyers, anti-submarine corvettes, the tanker INS Jyoti, a P-8I Poseidon aircraft and a nuclear submarine.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces will deploy the JS Izumo, the de facto flagship of their fleet, to the exercises. The Izumo is a helicopter carrier and the fleet’s largest vessel. They are also sending the destroyer JS Sazanami.
Exercises will include drills in air defense and surface warfare; visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) procedures; and anti-submarine warfare. Ships along the Chennai shoreline will practice strike group operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance, surface and anti-submarine warfare, and VBSS. Sailors will also conduct damage control, explosive ordnance disposal, helicopter operations, medical operations and special forces operations.
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