India, u. S. Begin two-day naval exercise in eastern indian ocean region

India and the U.S. on March 28 kicked off a two-day naval exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean region, reflecting the growing congruence in their defence and military partnership. The Indian

Navy deployed its warship _Shivalik_ and long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I in the ‘PASSEX’ exercise while the U.S. Navy was represented by the _USS Theodore Rosevelt_ carrier strike

group, officials said. A carrier battle group or carrier strike group is a mega naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier, accompanied by a large number of destroyers, frigates and other

ships. “In a first, enhancing jointmanship, Indian Air Force fighters were also included in the exercise affording the IAF an opportunity to practice air interception and air defence with

the U.S. Navy,” a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said. The exercise came over a week after U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin flew into India as part of his three-nation first overseas

tour that signalled the Joe Biden administration’s strong commitment to its relations with its close allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. During the visit, both sides resolved to

further consolidate their robust defence cooperation through deeper military-to-military engagement with Austin describing the partnership as a “stronghold” of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The officials said the exercise began on March 28 and will conclude on March 29. The spokesperson said the exercise is aimed at consolidating the synergy and interoperability achieved during

the Malabar exercise that took place in November last. Besides the Indian Navy, the Malabar naval exercise was participated by the navies of the U.S., Australia and Japan. The four

countries are part of the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition. China has been suspicious about the purpose of the Malabar exercise as it feels that the annual war game is an effort to contain

its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. In July last, the Indian Navy carried out a military exercise with a U.S. Navy carrier strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier _USS

Nimitz_ off the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The _USS Nimitz_ is the world’s largest warship. Published - March 28, 2021 05:05 pm IST Read Comments Remove SEE ALL PRINT RELATED

TOPICS defence