An informal strategic grouping of four democracies, India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, that cooperate on a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
- The grouping has its roots in coordination after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; it was formalised as a dialogue in 2007, lapsed, and was revived in 2017.
- Members are India, the United States, Japan, and Australia; it is not a formal military alliance and has no treaty or secretariat.
- The first Quad leaders' summit was held in 2021; cooperation spans maritime security, critical and emerging technology, vaccines, supply chains, and climate.
- Its strategic backdrop is the rise of China and concerns over freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
- The Malabar naval exercise involves all four Quad members, though it is a separate naval exercise rather than a Quad institution.
The Quad, its four members, its Indo-Pacific focus, and the Malabar exercise are common international-relations and security current-affairs items.
The Quad is an informal Indo-Pacific dialogue (India, US, Japan, Australia), not a military alliance or treaty bloc. It is distinct from AUKUS (Australia, UK, US), in which India is not a member.
Informal Indo-Pacific grouping of India, US, Japan, and Australia; revived in 2017, first leaders' summit in 2021.