Australia, India, Japan and the United States will join in a Bay of Bengal naval exercise in September, hinting at progress in negotiations for a possible four-way alliance.
     The first high-level discussions of such an alliance came in May, when assistant secretaries of state and equivalents from the four countries met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum gathering in Manila, Indian Foreign Ministry sources said.
     The meeting was held quietly, but not secretly; just days before, China issued demarches to all four participants, formally asking about their intentions.
     Singapore will also play in the exercises, which will include submarines, naval aircraft and 20 ships, including the U.S. aircraft carriers Nimitz and Kitty Hawk and the Indian carrier Viraat.
     The exercise, announced July 11 during the visit here by Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, will be part of a joint maritime-security initiative for the Asia-Pacific region.

4-Nation Naval Exercise May Presage New Alliance

     The purpose of these exercises, and the US policy of strengthing ties with its Pacific allies and making new ones, like India is very clear.  It is meant to act as  bareak against any furture Chinese adventures in the region, and to ensure that no matter how much money China pours into its navy it will never be able to equal the naval power of the US and her regional allies.

Photos from RIMPAC 2006, clickable for massive high res versions.  Ships from the US, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Australia, Chile and Peru.

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