Admiral Tripathi's visit to US reaffirms growing synergy between two navies

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) The recent official visit of Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi to the US has reaffirmed the "growing synergy" between the navies of the two countries and underscores their shared commitment to a secure, stable and rules-based Indo-Pacific, officials said on Friday.

The visit, from November 12 to 17, was aimed at further strengthening the India-US maritime partnership and advancing shared strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, they said.

It also sought to strengthen the robust and enduring maritime partnership between the Indian Navy and the US Navy, a key pillar of the defence partnership between the two countries, a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said earlier.

During the visit, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) held high-level engagements with senior US civilian and military leadership, including Navy Secretary John C Phelan, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Adm Samuel J Paparo, Commander of US Pacific Fleet Adm Stephen P Koehler, and Commander of US Marine Forces Pacific Lt Gen James F Glynn.

During discussions, they reviewed key pillars of the India-US defence cooperation.

These include strengthening maritime security and maritime domain awareness, expanding operational interoperability, enhancing information sharing, safeguarding sea lines of communication and critical undersea infrastructure, and coordinated responses to HADR (humanitarian aid and disaster relief), SAR (search and rescue), counter-piracy, and other non-traditional security challenges.

The two sides also deliberated on refining bilateral and multilateral exercises, including 'Malabar', 'Passex' and 'Milan', and on collaboration in emerging domains such as unmanned systems, ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), cyber and space-enabled maritime capabilities, the spokesperson said.

The visit reaffirmed the growing synergy between the Indian Navy and the US Navy, and underscored the shared commitment to a secure, stable and rules-based Indo-Pacific, he said.

It further strengthened the longstanding India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, he added.

The CNS also visited the Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, where discussions focused on enhancing cooperation and exchange of best practices in HADR, maritime humanitarian operations and resilience-building across the Indo-Pacific.

At the National Defence University (NDU), Admiral Tripathi interacted with its President Vice Admiral Peter A Garvin and reviewed ongoing cooperation in professional military education, higher learning linkages and training exchanges.

He also met Indian officers undergoing courses at the Eisenhower School, National War College, and the College of Information and Cyberspace.

India and the United States share a long-standing maritime partnership rooted in mutual trust, and shared values, the spokesperson said. PTI KND DIV DIV