New Delhi: Intending to build interoperability between the two countries, the Indian Navy conducted an exercise alongside the US’s Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) in the Indian Ocean on 12 July.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is now operating with Carrier Strike Group Nine after having taken part in this joint maritime activity in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
In a press statement, the US Embassy in New Delhi said the joint maritime activity underscored a shared commitment between the “two major defence partners” to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.
It added, “The US and Indian military forces focused on improving shared maritime domain awareness and information sharing; enhancing replenishment and logistics interoperability; and improving combined air-to-air capabilities.”
From the American side, units that took part were the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing 11, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118).
From the Indian side, naval assets that took part in the exercise included the guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam (D66) and replenishment ship INS Aditya (A59).
In addition to this, the Indian Navy is also currently participating along with the US Navy and those of other countries in the ongoing Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise in Hawaii. Indian multi-role stealth frigate INS Shivalik, deployed earlier in the South China Sea and North Pacific Ocean, reached Pearl Harbour in Hawaii to take part in RIMPAC, which happens to be the world’s largest naval exercise with the participation of nearly 29 countries.
The Indian Navy has in the past carried out bilateral as well as multilateral exercises with the US Navy across the Pacific, including Southwest Asia and littoral Africa.
India and the US, part of the Quad Security Dialogue along with Japan and Australia, also jointly carry out Malabar exercises. India will host the upcoming edition of this exercise in October on the eastern seaboard in the Bay of Bengal. The drill was held in Australia last year. The drill was first conducted in 1992 with the joint participation of India and the US.
In June this year, an Indian Air Force contingent participated in a two-week Exercise Red Flag 2024 conducted at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, along with the United States Air Force. Alongside the Indian and US air forces, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom, Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and the German Luftwaffe also participated. In the exercise, eight Rafale jets participated in the drill along with two IL-78 refuellers and three C-17 Globemaster. This was the first time that the Rafale aircraft flew to Alaska.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)