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A Rivercat ferry passes by the Royal Australian Navy's newest Collins class submarine, HMAS Waller, as it leaves Sydney Harbour May 4. The submarine will participate in a series of exercises near Hawai, its first since it was commissioned in July last year, that will involve more than 50 ships, 200 aircraft and 22,000 personnel from seven countries including the United States. The Federal government on Tuesday appointed advisors to consider options for the future ownership of the Australian Submarine Corp (ASC) which is building the country's troubled A$5 billion (US$2.8 billion) Collins class submarines. DG/CC

Australia and India have joined hands and entered into a bilateral maritime co-operation in response to a war game that sparked off after a Chinese nuclear submarine entered the Indian Ocean for the first time late last year. The exercise, which will take place in Bay of Bengal, will have a Collins-class submarine, a P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft, frigates and a tanker sent by Australia.

The India-United States war game will also include Japan this year. China is apparently not quite pleased with Japan’s growing involvement in Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean.

Last year for the first time, China deployed a nuclear attack submarine into the Indian Ocean and two more submarines have been spotted to be visiting Sri Lanka and Pakistan since then. These activities by Beijing led India to strengthen its ties with Australia, United States and Japan.

The Australian High Commission in Delhi said in a statement that the exercises to be held in Bay of Bengal next month will include anti-submarine warfare and coordinated anti-submarine drills.

“This is most unfortunate,” an editorial in the State-owned China Daily reads. “Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean are no secret. The Chinese navy has to protect its overseas interests. Much of these are along the rim of the Indian Ocean.”

David Brewster, a security expert at the Australian National University, said that the activities of China in the Indian Ocean has served as an eye opener for India to act fast on the issue and co-operate with other navies.

“We are seeing right across Asia many countries realising the importance of submarines," he told Reuters. "India knows that it needs to build up its capacity in submarines and particularly anti-submarine warfare. It's an area where both (India and Australia) can learn a lot from each other."

A spokesperson for the Indian Navy said that a Boeing P-8 Poseidon spy plane along with four ships will carry on the drilling that starts on September 12.

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