NEW DELHI: The Coast Guards of the QUAD nations – India, Japan, the United States, and Australia – have launched a multilateral initiative titled the ‘QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission’. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday termed the initiative a “landmark step” towards deepening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.“This strategic cross-embarkation initiative sees two officers, including women officers, from each participating nation embarked onboard the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Stratton, currently en route to Guam, USA,” the ICG said. It reinforces joint maritime readiness through enhanced interoperability, domain awareness, and operational coordination, the ICG added.This initiative, as per the ICG, is anchored in the Wilmington Declaration adopted at the QUAD Leaders’ Summit (September 2024). The mission reflects the collective resolve of the QUAD, an informal grouping, to strengthen a Free, Open, Inclusive, and Rules-Based Indo-Pacific. The Declaration was adopted at the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hosted by President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.The observer-at-sea engagement marks a first-of-its-kind initiative among the QUAD maritime agencies – Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Japan Coast Guard (JCG), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Australian Border Force (ABF).The Indian Coast Guard’s active participation underlines India’s strategic maritime vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and complements national efforts under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). It highlights India’s firm commitment to capacity-building, humanitarian outreach, and rule-based maritime order in the region.
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