Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Image credits- Indian Navy Recently, India turned an Australian request to join the Malabar series of naval exercises. The Diplomat in a detailed article enquires as to what prompted India to take such a decision. ( To read the entire article, click here ......)

India Australia naval exercises ( Source- Indian navy) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Observer Research Group / Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan The Indian Navy and Australian Royal Navy are set to hold their first bilateral naval exercise (AUSINDEX) this month off the Visakhapatnam Port in the Bay of Bengal. This is a sign of growing security and defence cooperation between India and Australia. The exercise will focus on anti-submarine warfare and will feature coordinated anti-submarine military exercises. Reports indicate the participation of Lockheed Martin’s P-3 anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft, a Collins-class submarine, a tanker and frigates from the Australian side whereas India will deploy a range of assets including Boeing’s P-8 long-range anti-submarine aircraft and a locally-manufactured corvette. There are several different issues that complement the foreign policy thinking in New Delhi and Canberra. While China is clearly becoming a factor in the growin

Royal Australian Navy ship in India ( Image credits- Indian navy) Source- The Diplomat Author- Prashanth Parameswaran Next month, the Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy will hold their first-ever joint maritime exercise. The exercise, called AUSINDEX, will he held off India’s Visakhapatnam Port in the Bay of Bengal in mid-September. According to defense sources, Australia is sending Lockheed Martin’s P-3 anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft, a Collins-class submarine, a tanker, and frigates, while India will deploy assets including Boeing’s P-8 long-range anti-submarine aircraft and a locally manufactured corvette. The exercise will have both sea and shore phases and include table-top exercises, scenario planning, and at sea, surface and anti-submarine warfare. Unsurprisingly, the media attention has focused on the exercise narrowly as a response to rising concerns about China. For instance, the anti-submarine warfare focus of the exercise – which includes ex

Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Navy Source- The Diplomat Author Prashanth Parameswaran This week, India, Japan and Australia held their first ever high-level trilateral dialogue in New Delhi. The talks were attended by Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar, Japanese vice foreign minister Akitaka Saiki and Australian secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Varghese. The trio reportedly discussed a range of issues at the dialogue. Maritime security was on the agenda, including freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and trilateral maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The countries also discussed the prospects for greater economic cooperation. Indian naval sources also said that a joint exercise between the three nations is a possibility further down the line and that preliminary talks have already taken place. Indian naval officials are currently in Perth for separate talks on their firs

Indian Prime Minister with his Australian Counterpart ( Image credits- Narendra Modi Official) Source- The Sydney Morning Herald Australia and India have entered a new era of security and military co-operation based on shared values and aimed at defending a rules-based international order. The Indian and Australian governments have now confirmed a Fairfax report this morning that prime ministers Narendra Modi and Tony Abbott quietly signed a sensitive and potentially transformative new framework agreement.  The confirmation came after China's President Xi Jinping had flown from Canberra to Tasmania.  "They have decided to establish the Framework for Security Cooperation to reflect the deepening and expanding security and defence engagement between India and Australia, and to intensify co-operation and consultation between Australia and India in areas of mutual interest," said India's Ministry of External Affairs, on its website. The framework

Indian Prime Minister at Australia ( Image credits- Author/ Internet image) Source- The Diplomat Author- Abhijit Singh There was a palpable excitement in India when Prime Minister Narendra Modi jetted off to attend the G-20 summit at Brisbane. This was partly because of the announcement that Modi would be embarking on a bilateral tour of Australia at the completion of the meeting of world leaders, and that he would be addressing the Indian diaspora in Sydney tomorrow, in what was a much anticipated recreation of the Madison Square Garden moment in New York two months ago. This time, Modi is expected to speak to a crowd of around 20,000 people. Engaging with the Indian expatriate community is, indeed, fast becoming Modi’s signature move on his tours abroad. There is nothing quite as effective as mass fervor in conveying political strength and India’s charismatic premier realizes its inherent potential. From a foreign policy and regional security perspective, however, i