India remains cautious on describing AUSINDEX 2015’s goals

In a twist to its defence diplomacy, India has consciously uncoupled Australia from the USA, and occasionally Japan and Singapore that undertook the annual Malabar maritime exercise meant to show solidarity in opposition to China. But during his visit to Canberra in November 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed a bilateral maritime exercise between the two navies.

This exercise, AUSINDEX 2015, is now being undertaken off the eastern seaboard in Vishakhapatnam, involving the stealth frigate, INS Shivalik, a guided missile destroyer, INS Ranvijay and the INS Shakti, a naval replenishment ship. On the Australian side, the participating ships are the fleet tanker, HMAS Sirius, HMAS Arunta, an Anzac class frigate, and HMAS Sheean, a Collins class submarine.

Royal Australian Navy’s flotilla arrived in the waters of the Bay of Bengal on 11 September led by Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead, designated head Navy Capability and the Indian fleet is being led by Rear Admiral <g data-gr-id="27">Ajendra</g>, Fleet Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet.

The Indian side has been cautious in describing the goals of the Ex AUSINDEX 2015 when it has stated in a joint statement for the media that two navies will be developing “interoperability” especially for missions of human assistance and disaster relief (HADR). The cautionary tale emerges from the sense of proximity that interoperability engenders, which tends to create notions of an alliance.

Indian navy spokesperson, Captain DK Sharma said that the Indian vessels that had taken part in the search and rescue operation of MH 370 along the coast of Australia in the Indian Ocean earlier in the year. This statement was clearly designed to articulate the cooperation between the two countries in their defence/naval operations.

The fleets of the two countries will also be having aerial assets including a P3C Orion on the Australian side and a newly acquired, P8I command, control, communication and intelligence ops of the Indian side.

However, the expansion of the Exercise Malabar, which tends to make the Chinese feel insecure and raise the hackles of sections of the Indian domestic observers, continues to exclude Australia even as Japan was included this year.

But for reasons of great sensitivity of the Chinese, the exercise this time was held in the Bay of 

Bengal and not near the coast of Japan.

The Indo-Australian exercise will start with a Harbour Phase, beginning with briefings and practical demonstrations about how to navigate through the Bay of shallow waters. This will also be embellished with “professional interactions.”