Exercise Malabar 07-02 Kicks Off
[U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs, 07 September 2007]

More than 20,000 personnel from five different countries are participating in Exercise Malabar 07-02. This multilateral exercise includes naval forces from India, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the United States. The Malabar exercise series has historically been a bilateral exercise between the Indian and US navies. This year, the Indian Navy invited other regional countries to participate. Exercise Malabar 07-02 is designed to increase ability to operate among the Indian, Australian, Japanese, Singaporean and US naval forces to develop common understanding & procedures for maritime operations. Interoperability among maritime forces allows for a more effective capability to respond, as necessary, to maritime threats such as terrorism proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and transnational challenges such as pandemic disease and natural disaster. The at-sea training will include sea control operations, multi-carrier operations as well as exercise all major air, surface and subsurface maritime skill sets. Participants will also conduct personnel exchanges and professional discussions at sea and ashore. The US Navy's 7th Fleet is the largest of the forward-deployed US fleets covering 52 million square miles, with approximately 50 ships, more than 200 aircraft and 20,000 Sailors and Marines assigned at any given time.

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USS Kitty Hawk, allies complete Malabar exercise
[Kitty Hawk Public Affairs, 10 September 2007]

By Olivia Giger, Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class

The USS Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group and embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 completed exercise Exercise Malabar 07-02 on 09 September 2007, with USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, Carrier Air Wing 11, and ships from the Indian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy. The six-day exercise began 04 September 2007 and took place in the Bay of Bengal. It involved more than 20,000 personnel on 28 ships and 150 aircraft. This year was different from previous exercises because India invited Japan, Singapore and Australia to join the exercise, increasing its scale and complexity. The five nations worked together to improve their anti-submarine warfare, anti-piracy, humanitarian and combat skills, in an effort to be prepared should a real-life situation call them to work together in the future. "[Malabar] is an exercise for bringing maritime professionals together and learning from each other," said Vice Admiral Doug Crowder, US Navy 7th Fleet Commander.

Numerous foreign officers from the participating navies were also on board to learn about and observe carrier flight operations. "The ability to work together quickly and effectively doesn't happen by accident. It happens because of exercises like Malabar, where our navies can get together, learn and practice our ability to work together on short notice," said Rear Admiral Nigel Stephen Coates, Fleet Commander of the Royal Australian Navy. "I think you can never over-estimate the importance of being called together at short notice to work together and be able to understand each other," said Col. Wellman Wan, commander of the First Flotilla and Navy Operations Manager of the Republic of Singapore Navy. A team of 14 Sailors from the Kitty Hawk Strike Group embarked all foreign ships to set up and maintain CENTRIX communications equipment, which enabled all participating units to communicate with each other. Exercise Malabar 07-02 is the strike group's final major exercise of its summer deployment.

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MALABAR 07-02 ORBAT (ORder of BATtle)

Indian Navy: Eight Vessels

• INS Viraat (R22): Aircraft Carrier

• INS Ranjit (D53): Guided-Missile Destroyer
• INS Ranvijay (D55): Guided-Missile Destroyer

• INS Gomati (F21): Guided-Missile Frigate
• INS Brahmaputra (F31): Guided-Missile Frigate

• INS Kuthar (P46): Guided-Missile Corvette
• INS Karmukh (P64): Guided-Missile Corvette

• INS Aditya (A59): Replenishment & Repair Ship

United States Navy: Thirteen Vessels

• USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63): Aircraft Carrier, Commanding Officer - Captain Todd Zecchin
• USS Nimitz (CVN 68): Aircraft Carrier, Commanding Officer - Captain Michael Manazir

• USS Princeton (CG 59): Guided-Missile Cruiser, Commanding Officer - Captain David W Melin
• USS Cowpens (CG 63): Guided-Missile Cruiser, Commanding Officer - Captain Terry Mosher

• USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53): Guided-Missile Destroyer, Commanding Officer - Commander Christopher K. Barnes
• USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54): Guided-Missile Destroyer, Commanding Officer - Commander Theodore A. Zobel
• USS Higgins (DDG 76): Guided-Missile Destroyer, Commanding Officer - Commander Fred W. Smith, Jr.
• USS Mustin (DDG 89): Guided-Missile Destroyer, Commanding Officer - Commander Ed Cashman
• USS Chafee (DDG 90): Guided-Missile Destroyer, Commanding Officer - Commander Yvette C. Brownwhaler
• USS Pinckney (DDG 91): Guided-Missile Destroyer, Commanding Officer - Commander John C. Peterschmidt

• USS Chicago (SSN 721): Nuclear Powered Attack Submarine, Commanding Officer - Commander Rick J. Stoner

• USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194): Fleet Replenishment Oiler

• USNS Rainer (T-AOE 7): Fast Combat Support Ship

Royal Australian Navy: Two Vessels

• HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01): Guided-Missile Frigate, Commanding Officer - Commander Robert B. Slaven

• HMAS Sirius (OR 266): Fleet Replenishment Tanker, Commanding Officer - Commander Tim G. Crawford

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force: Two Vessels

• JDS Onami (DD-111): Guided-Missile Destroyer
• JDS Yuudachi (DD-103): Guided-Missile Destroyer

Republic of Singapore Navy: One Vessel

• RSS Formidable (F68): Guided-Missile Frigate, Commanding Officer - Col Jackson Chia

Images Courtesy - United States Navy