Japan Self-Defense Force Destroyer Ariake Joins India’s Destroyer Delhi in Joint Operation Against Enemy Submarine

Joint training exercise by Japan, the U.S., India, and Australia

The Japan Self-Defense Force’s destroyer “Ariake” cuts through the Indian Ocean at 20 knots, with India’s heavily-armed destroyer “Delhi” running parallel about 300 meters to its right.

The nearly 160-meter-long Indian-made “Delhi,” recently equipped with the BrahMos cruise missile, appears larger than the “Ariake.” Along with these two ships, four countries—Japan, the United States, India, and Australia—have joined forces, with eight ships in total, to conduct a joint operation in the Indian Ocean to neutralize enemy vessels.

This took place from October 8 to 18, as part of the Japan-US-India-Australia joint exercise “Malabar 2024” off the coast of Vishakhapatnam, India.

The four countries are members of the “Quad” alliance, working together on security and economic cooperation with the goal of realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Specially allowed aboard the “Ariake,” the author was able to closely cover all training exercises, including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.

Distance shortened through personnel exchanges

On the 15th, Japan, the U.S., India, and Australia focused their efforts on a practical exercise to “search for and destroy enemy submarines.” Two Indian Navy submarines played the role of enemy forces.

The “Ariake” used a towed array sonar, a black cable with a hydrophone at the end, deployed from the ship’s stern to detect submarine sounds. This sonar, widely used globally, was complemented by patrol helicopters from the Indian and Australian navies in the search for the submarines. The training, which involved detecting and addressing submarines from scratch, lasted an entire day and night.

As part of the effort to strengthen cooperation, personnel exchanges were also conducted during the exercise. Throughout the training, two Indian Navy officers boarded the “Ariake” as liaison officers.

On the morning of the 16th, Self-Defense Force personnel, wearing navy blue coveralls and armed with pistols, were lined up on the “Ariake’s” rear deck for a boarding operation aimed at suspicious ships. After observing the training, an Indian Navy officer, who had led special forces operations, demonstrated India’s methods of vessel boarding and advised the Japanese on their training techniques, offering constructive criticism.

During free time between training sessions, the Indian officers were seen shopping for “Ariake” logo T-shirts as souvenirs, promising to bring them back for their families.

The two officers spent the night alongside Japanese personnel. When “JMSDF curry” was served, the Japanese, aware that Indians don’t typically eat curry with rice, had prepared naan for the officers. When they tried the curry with naan, they responded with a thumbs up, though they added some spices to increase the heat, joking that the level of spiciness would be too much for the Japanese.

Despite the geographical distance between Japan and India, the bonds between the participants clearly grew closer. The training suggested the potential evolution of the “Quad” into an “Indo-Pacific NATO.”

Distance” shortened through personnel exchanges

Two Indian Navy submarines played the role of the enemy.

The Arriake used a towed array sonar. A black cable with a hydrophone attached to the end is run from the stern of the submarine to search for the submarine’s sound. The Indian and Australian navies used patrol helicopters to search for submarines. The training to locate and deal with submarines from scratch was indeed a day and night exercise.

In Malabar, personnel exchanges between the countries were also conducted in an attempt to deepen cooperation. During the entire exercise, two Indian naval officers were aboard the Arriake as liaison officers.

In the early morning of the 16th, Self-Defense Force personnel in navy blue pupils and armed with pistols lined up on the rear deck of the Arriake. They were the inspection team that boarded the suspicious vessel and took control of it. An Indian naval officer, who told the writer that he had served as a commander in the Navy’s Special Forces, observed the SDF training and then demonstrated an Indian-style method of subduing a suspicious vessel. After observing the training of the SDF for a while, the officer demonstrated the Indian method of suppression, and tightened the atmosphere by advising that the SDF’s training methods are efficient but not practical.

During free time between training sessions, an Indian naval officer and an SDF officer went shopping for T-shirts with the ArIAKE logo printed on them. The officers showed their white teeth as they said, “I will take these as souvenirs for my family.

The two men ate and slept together with the JSDF officers. When they were served the famous “KAIJI Curry,” the KAIJI staff, having heard that curry is not eaten with rice in India, prepared naan for them in advance. When the officers put the curry on the naan and put it in their mouths, they returned it with an “OK” mark. However, the spiciness was not enough. Sprinkled with spices from the table, they murmured with a smile, “I don’t think Japanese people can handle this spiciness.

Despite the distance between Japan and India, the distance between the participants in the training was definitely shortened. The training exercise showed the potential for the Quad to evolve into an Indo-Pacific version of NATO.

Meals on the ship are self-service. The KAIJI curry was also popular among the Japanese crew members.