India and US conduct joint military exercises in Indian Ocean
- The military operations come as both India and the US are embroiled in disputes with China
- The US Navy described the drills as designed to ‘provide security throughout the region’
The cooperative exercises involved the Nimitz carrier strike group, one of the world’s most formidable naval formations that consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, a guided missile cruiser named USS Princeton and the USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson, two guided missile destroyers.
The Indian vessels that took part in the exercises were the destroyer INS Rana, two stealth frigates named INS Sahyadri and INS Shivalik and a missile corvette called INS Kamorta.
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“It was a privilege to operate with the Indian Navy,” Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, commander of the carrier strike group, said in a statement.
The US Navy described the drills as “high-end exercises designed to maximise training and interoperability, including air defence”, adding that the operations were designed to “provide security throughout the region”.
“These engagements also present opportunities to build upon the pre-existing strong relationship between the United States and India and allow both countries to learn from each other,” it said.
According to Indian media, the exercises were conducted in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India. The Nimitz carrier strike group is currently en route towards a deployment to the Gulf.
The Indian Navy published an official tweet showcasing a 20-second video of the joint exercises.