QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue)

On 26 December 2004 a huge wave hit the Indian Ocean. Four navies rushed to help. India, the US, Japan and Australia had never planned to work together. But they did, and the habit stuck. That relief team became the Quad.

Think of three questions as you read. How did a tsunami create the Quad? Why did it collapse once? And what is it doing in 2026?

1How did a tsunami create the Quad?

The Indian Ocean tsunami struck on 26 December 2004. India, the US, Japan and Australia formed a “Tsunami Core Group” to coordinate relief. They worked fast because their navies were already nearby.

That quick teamwork showed what the four could do together. Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe then pushed the idea of a four-nation dialogue. Officials of the four met in Manila in May 2007, at the ASEAN Regional Forum.

The Quad is an informal dialogue. It has no treaty and no permanent secretariat. It is not a military alliance.

• Members: India, US, Japan, Australia.
• Born from the 2004 tsunami relief team.
• First meeting: Manila, May 2007.

2Why did it collapse, and how did it return?

Australia pulled out in 2008 under PM Kevin Rudd. He wanted to protect Australia’s trade with China. Without Australia the dialogue went quiet.

In November 2017 officials of the four met again in Manila. China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific pulled them back together. Foreign ministers began meeting in 2019.

The first leaders’ summit was held online on 12 March 2021. The first in-person summit followed in Washington in September 2021. Later summits were in Tokyo (2022), Hiroshima (2023) and Wilmington (2024).

3What is Malabar, and which “Quad” is which?

Malabar began as an India–US naval exercise. Japan and Australia joined in later years. The 2017 edition had India, Japan and the US only. Malabar 2020 was the first with all four navies since 2007. Phase 1 was off Visakhapatnam, 3–6 November 2020.

Do not mix up two groups. The Indo-Pacific Quad is India, the US, Japan and Australia. The “Middle-East Quad” is I2U2: India, Israel, the UAE and the US.

The Quad leaves out China. BRICS and the SCO both include China.

• Malabar 2020: all four navies.
• I2U2 ≠ Quad.
• Quad excludes China.

4What did the Quad do in 2026?

Quad foreign ministers met in New Delhi on 26 May 2026. They launched a Critical Minerals Initiative Framework. The four pledged to mobilise up to US$20 billion for safer mineral supply chains. They also launched a maritime surveillance project. (Source: US State Department)

On 22 July 2026 the four ministers met again in Manila, beside the ASEAN meetings. They issued their first joint statement on working with ASEAN and backed “ASEAN centrality”. The statement did not mention China. (Source: US State Department) (Source: Japan Times)

India was to host a leaders’ summit in 2025, but it never happened. No leaders’ summit has been held since Wilmington in 2024. The ministers only said they “look forward” to one, with no date. (Source: SCMP)

• Delhi ministers: 26 May 2026, critical minerals.
• Manila: 22 July 2026, ASEAN statement.
• No leaders’ summit since 2024.

5What are the exam traps?

• Quad is informal: no treaty.
• Australia left in 2008; revived 2017.
• First leaders’ summit: 12 March 2021, virtual.
• Malabar 2017 had no Australia.

6Current Affairs

India hosts the Quad-at-Sea mission, September 2026

• [Milestone] In September 2026, Indian Coast Guard ship Shaunak sailed from Chennai on the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission. India hosted this year’s edition. (Source: Akashvani News.)
• Six “sea riders” were on board: two officers each from India and Japan, and one each from Australia and the US. (Source: Akashvani News.)
• The mission was announced at the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on 26 May 2026. (Source: Akashvani News.)
• Trap: the first mission, in mid-2025, sailed on the US Coast Guard cutter Stratton, not an Indian ship. (Source: Akashvani News.)