Admiral John Michael Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy, is on an official tour to India from 12 to 14 May 2019. His visit is intended to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and USA and also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

Admiral John M Richardson had discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman COSC and Chief of the Naval Staff today. He also interacted with Defence Secretary, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman COSC and the National Security Council Secretariat.

Indian Navy and US Navy interact regularly at bilateral and multilateral forums and participate in maritime exercises such as MALABAR and RIMPAC. Regular Subject Matter Expert exchange also takes place between both the navies to institutionalise interoperability in various fields. After being accorded Major Defence Partner status by USA in 2016, India – US ties have grown significantly in recent years. The inaugural Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue conducted in September 2018 also facilitated new avenues for defence cooperation between the two countries.

Major issues discussed during the visit included operations and exercises, training interactions, information exchange, capacity building and capability enhancement.

DKS/AC