Amid prevailing tensions with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, Indian warships – from Navy’s Eastern Fleet – have concluded an exercise with the US Navy’s nuclear-powered USS Nimitz — the world’s largest warship manned by around 6,000 personnel — off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Monday and Tuesday, this week.

The exercise included coordinated exercises such as surface action, surveillance and anti-submarine drills. These high-end exercises were designed to maximize training and interoperability, including air defense.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, consisting of flagship USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), participated in the exercises.

“It was a privilege to operate with the Indian Navy,” said Rear Adm. Jim Kirk, commander, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. “RADM Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, leads a powerful and highly skilled Fleet. The opportunity to have the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group join with his Fleet for a series of exercises improved our interoperability and is a testimony to the flexibility of both our Navies. Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Indian Ocean in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Notably, the Indian Navy carried out a similar exercise with the Japanese Navy last month. Now, India is considering inviting Australia to the Malabar exercise – joint exercise of Indian, Japanese and US Navy, which is scheduled for August or September.

US Defence Secretariat lashes out at China for “systemic rule-breaking”, calls US-India defence cooperation “one of the all-important defence relationships of the 21st century”

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday slammed China, as it “continues to engage in systemic rule-breaking” and “continues its aggressive behaviour” in the East and South China Sea.

“We are monitoring what’s happening along the Line of Actual Control very closely, and we are very pleased to see that both sides are trying to de-escalate the situation,” Esper noted while addressing a special presentation of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based research body.

In his address, Esper also called the growing US-India defence cooperation as “one of the all-important defence relationships of the 21st century”.

“We conducted our first-ever joint military exercise last November and, as we speak today, the USS Nimitz is conducting combined exercises with the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean demonstrating our shared committed to a stronger naval cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. We also continue to grow our defence sales and look forward to a robust 2+2 ministerial dialogue to build on this progress,” he added.

-TIN Bureau