| Summary/Abstract |
The twenty-first edition of the trilateral Malabar naval exercises
between India, Japan, and the US are scheduled to take place close to
Indian shores in July this year. The modalities of the war games are being
finalised in which fine tuning Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) skills will
have particular focus with the China factor in mind. Though there is no
visible confrontation, there is a visible undercurrent building and a ‘wait
and watch’ game unfolding in the depths of the Indian Ocean as each
player accesses the other’s capacities and capabilities, a phase reminiscent
of the cold war. This puts in question India’s own capabilities and the
modernisation of its Navy in light of the rapid augmentation of submarine
strength of its adversaries and the near to medium-term picture does seem
worrisome.
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