Naval Exercise-'MALABAR', involving India, US and Japan, will help maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. A joint press release issued by the three navies in Chennai said today that MALABAR-15 will be another significant step in strengthening mutual confidence and inter-operability as well as sharing best practices among the Indian, Japanese and US navies. The exercise began yesterday.<br/><br/>The 19th edition of the October 14-19 exercise is being conducted in the Bay of Bengal and the thrust areas include anti-submarine warfare, air defence and search and rescue tactical procedures, among others. A range of naval ships from the three countries, including INS Shivalik, USS Theodore Roosevelt and JS Fuyuzuki will be part of the exercise, it said.