US, India Naval Chiefs explore new avenues for cooperation

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba with his visiting US counterpart  John Michael Richardson  at  New Delhi  on Monday

May 13, 2019

New Delhi: Admiral John Michael Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy on Monday held discussions with his Indian counterpart Admiral Sunil Lanba to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

Their meeting covered major issues including operations and exercises, training interactions, information exchange, capacity building and capability enhancement, a Defence Ministry release said here on Monday, noting that after being accorded Major Defence Partner status by USA in 2016, India – US ties have grown significantly in recent years.

Admiral Richardson, who began his three-day India visit on Sunday, also had interaction with Defence Secretary, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman COSC and the National Security Council Secretariat.

”His visit is intended to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and USA and also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation,” the release said.

Indian Navy and US Navy interact regularly at bilateral and multilateral forums and participate in maritime exercises such as MALABAR and RIMPAC. Regular Subject Matter Expert exchange also takes place between both the navies to institutionalise interoperability in various fields.

The inaugural Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue conducted in September 2018 also facilitated new avenues for defence cooperation between the two countries, the release said.
IANS