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The Print
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Ahead of ministers' meeting, QUAD launches 1st-ever coast guard observer mission for Indo-Pacific
At the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Sunday, the foreign ministers of the four countries would exchange views on regional and global developments, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. They will also review progress on various Quad initiatives in the lead-up to the Quad Leaders' Summit, hosted by India. The development comes ahead of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to the US for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting, scheduled for Tuesday. New Delhi: India, Japan, the United States and Australia, the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), launched their first-ever joint coast guard-led at-sea observer mission to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety in the Indo-Pacific. According to MEA, 'the ministers are further expected to consider new proposals to advance a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific'. The Ministry of Defence announced the launch of the 'QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission' in a statement Monday. A team of two officers from each country, including women officers, is aboard the vessel, USCGC Stratton. The ship is en route to Guam in the western Pacific Ocean. According to the US Coast Guard website, Stratton is one of ten high-endurance Legend-class National Security Cutters in the US Coast Guard fleet. Commissioned in 2012, the nearly 418-foot-long vessel has a full-load displacement of around 4,600 long tonnes and is equipped for a wide range of missions, including drug interdiction, fisheries enforcement, maritime security, environmental protection, and search and rescue operations. The mission is being conducted under the framework of the Wilmington Declaration, a joint statement issued by the QUAD Leaders' Summit, held in September last year in Wilmington, Delaware. It included plans for the 'first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025 to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety,' with similar missions to follow across the Indo-Pacific. In addition to that, the current mission also seeks to reinforce a shared commitment to a 'Free, Open, Inclusive and Rules-Based Indo-Pacific' and underlines the growing operational ties between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Japan Coast Guard (JCG), US Coast Guard (USCG) and Australian Border Force (ABF). India's participation, the defence ministry statement said, aligns with the country's maritime doctrine of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and supports the broader Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which focuses on regional capacity-building, humanitarian outreach, and maritime law enforcement. Also Read: 'Looking to make Quad more effective with Trump,' says Australian envoy to India New dimension in maritime cooperation This deployment also marks a new dimension in QUAD maritime cooperation, shifting emphasis from traditional naval exercises to coast guard-level interoperability and maritime domain awareness. It builds on existing defence cooperation among the four countries, including the annual Malabar naval exercise. The annual multilateral exercise focuses on enhancing interoperability, improving tactical coordination and addressing shared maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific regions. The drills include surface and anti-submarine warfare, air defence, maritime patrol operations, replenishment at sea and cross-deck helicopter landings. The exercise usually features the participation of various Indian naval platforms, including guided missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, submarines, fighter aircraft and helicopters. The naval exercise began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between the navies of India and the US. Japan joined in 2007, becoming a regular participant in 2014, and being formally included as a permanent member in 2015. While Australia also present in 2007, it withdrew from the QUAD in the following year after objections from China over its participation in the exercise. The grouping was revived in subsequent years, with Australia returning in 2020. That year, Malabar evolved into a four-nation format with all four QUAD nations participating together for the first time. China has continued to criticise the bloc, accusing it of trying to contain its regional influence and 'inciting confrontation'. Last year, India had hosted the annual edition of the Malabar naval exercise, with both the harbour and sea phases taking place in and around Visakhapatnam and the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Navy contributed a range of platforms, including guided-missile destroyers, multi-role frigates, and the long-range maritime patrol aircraft P-8I, which is equipped for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance missions. The United States Navy had participated with the USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, accompanied by its embarked helicopter and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Japan had deployed the JS Ariake, a guided-missile destroyer from the Akizuki class, known for its advanced air defence capabilities; while the Royal Australian Navy had fielded the HMAS Stuart, a frigate, along with a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare and a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: 'Quad to continue to be a force for global good,' says Jaishankar as India gears up to host leaders' meet
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First Post
01-07-2025
- General
- First Post
Quad launches first-ever coast guard 'at-sea observer mission' to boost maritime cooperation in Indo-Pacific
For the first time, the Coast Guards of Quad nations, comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, have launched a 'Quad at-sea Ship Observer Mission' to enhance maritime security and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific region. The mission involves deployment of coast guard observers on a US Coast Guard ship operating in the Indo-Pacific. read more Coast Guard personnel of Quad nations, comprising India, the United States, Australia, and Japan, operate jointly as part of the first-ever 'Quad at-sea Ship Observer Mission'. (Photo: Indian Coast Guard) The Quad, comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, has launched the first 'Quad at-sea Ship Observer Mission' to enhance maritime security and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific region. The mission involves two officers, including women, from the coast guards of each nation. The Quad is an informal grouping committed to a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. The group, which is involved in security cooperation, humanitarian and disaster relief work, and developmental activities, is also a way of member states to counter China's hegemonic designs in the region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Quad at-sea Ship Observer Mission was conceptualised at the Quad Summit 2024 in Wilmington in the United States. Under the Wilmington Declaration, the Coast Guards of India, Japan, the United States, and Australia have launched the 'QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission', which involves the deployment of two officers, including women officers, from each country on board US Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Stratton, which is currently sailing to Guam, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. 'The cross-embarkation mission marks an unprecedented step in Quad Coast Guard collaboration, enhancing joint readiness, operational coordination, and domain awareness in support of a Free, Open, Inclusive, and Rules-Based Indo-Pacific,' the statement further said. While Quad is not a military alliance, the member states have increased military cooperation under Quad framework in recent years. Former US President Joe Biden, who hosted the Quad Summit 2024 at his home in Wilmington, joined hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make Quad one of the leading instruments of managing the Indo-Pacific region and countering the Chinese aggressive posturing in the region. In 2023, India, Australia, Japan, and the United States held military drills off the Australian coast. The drills were widely dubbed as 'Quad Drills'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The MoD said that India's participation in the Quad at-Sea Ship Observer Mission reinforces its strategic maritime vision of Sagar (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and complements national efforts under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), with an emphasis on capacity-building, humanitarian outreach, and maritime rule of law. Moreover, the Quad at-sea initiative thus sets the foundation for a 'QUAD Coast Guard Handshake', fostering stronger trust, coordination, and collective resilience amid evolving maritime challenges in the region, the statement further said.
India Gazette
30-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
QUAD nations launch 'QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission', deepening maritime cooperation in Indo-Pacific
New Delhi [India], June 30 (ANI): In a landmark step towards deepening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the Coast Guards of the QUAD nations--India, Japan, the United States and Australia--have launched a multilateral initiative titled the 'QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission', said an official statement. This strategic cross-embarkation initiative sees two officers, including women officer, from each participating nation embarked onboard the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Stratton, currently en route to Guam, USA. Anchored in the Wilmington Declaration adopted at the QUAD Leaders' Summit (September 2024), the mission reflects the collective resolve of the QUAD to strengthen a Free, Open, Inclusive, and Rules-Based Indo-Pacific. It reinforces joint maritime readiness through enhanced interoperability, domain awareness, and operational coordination, added the statement. The observer-at-sea engagement marks a first-of-its-kind initiative among the QUAD maritime agencies--Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Japan Coast Guard (JCG), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Australian Border Force (ABF). The Indian Coast Guard's active participation underlines India's strategic maritime vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), and complements national efforts under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). It highlights India's firm commitment to capacity-building, humanitarian outreach, and rule-based maritime order in the region. The QUAD at Sea Observer Mission thus paves the way for a 'QUAD Coast Guard Handshake'--deepening operational synergies, trust, and maritime governance among like-minded Indo-Pacific partners. As global maritime challenges grow increasingly complex, this initiative is a decisive stride towards shared security, collective preparedness, and regional resilience. The Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. The Quad's positive and practical agenda is focused on delivering outcomes for the Indo-Pacific, in response to the region's priorities and most pressing challenges, including health security, climate change, infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, cyber security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, space, maritime security, countering disinformation, and counter-terrorism. (ANI)
New Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission' launched to deepen Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation
NEW DELHI: The Coast Guards of the QUAD nations - India, Japan, the United States, and Australia - have launched a multilateral initiative titled the 'QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission'. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday termed the initiative a 'landmark step' towards deepening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. 'This strategic cross-embarkation initiative sees two officers, including women officers, from each participating nation embarked onboard the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Stratton, currently en route to Guam, USA,' the ICG said. It reinforces joint maritime readiness through enhanced interoperability, domain awareness, and operational coordination, the ICG added. This initiative, as per the ICG, is anchored in the Wilmington Declaration adopted at the QUAD Leaders' Summit (September 2024). The mission reflects the collective resolve of the QUAD, an informal grouping, to strengthen a Free, Open, Inclusive, and Rules-Based Indo-Pacific. The Declaration was adopted at the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hosted by President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. The observer-at-sea engagement marks a first-of-its-kind initiative among the QUAD maritime agencies - Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Japan Coast Guard (JCG), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Australian Border Force (ABF). The Indian Coast Guard's active participation underlines India's strategic maritime vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and complements national efforts under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). It highlights India's firm commitment to capacity-building, humanitarian outreach, and rule-based maritime order in the region.
