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A Royal Australian Navy frigate and replenishment oiler vessel have returned to their homeport after wrapping up the second phase of a multi-national exercise in the Indian Ocean.
Anzac Class frigate HMAS Ballarat and replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius have concluded their participation in Exercise Malabar 2021 — a multi-domain military exercise involving Australia, India, Japan, and the US.
Interacting with aircraft from other participating nations, the ships engaged in training in the Bay of Bengal from 11 to 14 October.
This was the second phase of the exercise, with the first phase held in August near Guam.
Commander of the Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Mark Hammond, noted the interoperability benefits of the exercise.
“Exercise Malabar built our collective ability to meet shared challenges in pursuit of an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific,” RADM Hammond said.
“The Royal Australian Navy has enjoyed multiple opportunities to work with India, Japan and the United States this year, including the first phase of Exercise Malabar 2021, as well as other navy-to-navy activities.
“Each time we work together, we refine our shared mariner skills, improve our interoperability and further strengthen our professional ties.”
HMA Ships Ballarat and Sirius, which are both home-ported at Fleet Base West in Western Australia, have engaged in a number of deployments in the Indo-Pacific in recent months.
[Related: Australia and Indo-Pacific partners wrap-up Timor-Leste exercise]
