Indian Navy's anti-submarine warfare Corvette INS Kiltan carried out a military exercise with Australian frigate Anzac in the South China Sea, a region that has been witnessing growing Chinese military expansionism. Indian Navy officials said the exercise took place on Sunday.
"Indian Navy ASW Corvette INS Kiltan exercised with Royal Australian Navy frigate Anzac in the South China Sea on September 5 as part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour," a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said. The Indian Navy carried out similar drills in the South China Sea with the navies of the Philippines and Vietnam last month.
China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, several ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims. Separately, India and Australia on Monday began a five-day mega naval wargame to strengthen joint capabilities in support of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region.
The wargame is taking place in the North Australian exercise area. The defence and security ties between India and Australia have been on an upswing in the last few years.
In June last year, India and Australia elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support during an online summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) allows militaries of the two countries to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, besides facilitating scaling up of overall defence cooperation.
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