NEW DELHI: With the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) on Wednesday announcing that Australia has joined India, Japan, and the United States for Exercise Malabar, the full quorum of the informal Quad grouping was confirmed.

The Indian Naval Warship (INS) Sahyadri is already at Guam in the Northern Pacific for participation in the multilateral Exercise Malabar-2025.

Terming Exercise Malabar 2025 as “a key Indo-Pacific maritime activity designed to deepen interoperability between regional partners,” the Australian DoD said in a statement, “The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Anzac-class frigate, HMAS Ballarat, will participate in the exercise in the West Pacific training area between 10 and 18 November.”

The Exercise Malabar is being held between 10 and 18 November. The Harbour Phase will take place from 10 to 12 November, while the Sea Phase will be conducted between 13 and 17 November. The closing ceremony is scheduled for 18 November.

The Indian Navy, in a statement, said earlier, “The participation of INS Sahyadri in Exercise Malabar-2025 reaffirms India’s enduring partnership and its commitment to strengthening coordination, enhancing interoperability, and demonstrating a collective resolve to safeguard regional security.”

Indigenously designed and constructed, INS Sahyadri is a guided missile stealth frigate. The ship is a shining example of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision and has participated in several bilateral and multilateral exercises, as well as operational deployments.

The Harbour Phase of Exercise Malabar-2025 will feature operational planning and discussions, alignment on communication protocols, familiarisation visits between participating nations, and sports fixtures. Following the Harbour Phase, all participating units will proceed for the Sea Phase, wherein ships and aircraft will take part in naval drills focusing on joint fleet operations, anti-submarine warfare, gunnery serials, and flying operations.