Navy Chief Tripathi holds talks with top US naval commanders focusing on Indo-Pacific

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi held talks with top American naval commanders on expanding avenues for operational engagements between the Indian and the US navies across the Indo-Pacific.

Admiral Tripathi is currently on a six-day visit to the US.

He held talks with Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J Paparo and Commander of US Pacific Fleet Admiral Stephen T Koehler and Commander of US Marine Forces Lt Gen James F Glynn.

The deliberations focused on strengthening bilateral maritime security, enhancing interoperability, and expanding avenues for operational engagements across the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Navy said on Saturday.

"The interactions reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the Indian Navy and the US Navy as well as the growing synergy with US Marine and joint forces -- anchored in mutual trust, shared values, and a common commitment to a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific," it said.

The resolve by the two sides to boost naval cooperation in the Indo-Pacific comes amid growing global concerns over China's military muscle-flexing in the region.

"The discussions also covered priority areas of mutual maritime interest, including deeper information sharing and maritime domain awareness, building on mechanisms like IPMDA and linkages with India's Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR).

The Indian Navy established the IFC-IOR in Gurugram in 2018 to keep track of shipping traffic as well as other critical developments in the region under a collaborative framework with like-minded countries.

The Quad member nations of India, the US, Australia and Japan announced the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) initiative in 2022 to improve monitoring of maritime activities across the Indo-Pacific.

In their talks, Admiral Tripathi and the US commanders deliberated on safeguarding sea lines of communication ∧ critical undersea infrastructure.

The two sides also discussed frameworks for bilateral and multilateral naval exercises including Malabar and Milan as part of broader efforts to refine joint capabilities for warfighting and logistics, the Navy said.

The talks also featured discussions on collaboration in emerging domains such unmanned systems, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), cyber, and space-enabled maritime operations to bolster readiness and resilience at sea.

The Navy chief's visit to the US comes at a time when navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan are carrying out the annual Malabar exercise in the Northern Pacific.

The annual wargame includes both sea and harbor phases with a focus on expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific that has been witnessing growing military muscle flexing by China.

The Malabar exercise began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between the US and Indian Navy.

Over the years, it has evolved into a key four-nation exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual understanding, and addressing shared maritime challenges. PTI MPB ZMN