India hosts Quad naval exercise involving U.S. Japan, Australia

India, United States, Japan and Australia began a naval exercise on Tuesday, the first of its kind in 13 years among the four major Indo-Pacific democracies that share concern over China's growing assertiveness in the region.The annual Malabar exercise among the Quad members -- as they are collectively known -- is intended "to strengthen the relationship with friendly navies and to realize a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi said in a tweet.The first phase is being held in the Bay of Bengal for four days, while a second phase is scheduled for mid-Nove…READ FULL ARTICLE