Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties with the US and situation in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region during his visit to US from September 19-23 to attend the 25th International Sea Power Symposium(ISS).
Giving details of his visit, navy officials said here on Sunday the ISS is conducted by the US Navy at US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island and provides the opportunity to engage with the Friendly Foreign Countries towards the shared vision of enhancing maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Admiral Kumar also held bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the ISS with his counterparts from various countries including the USA, Australia, Egypt, Fiji, Israel, Italy Japan, Kenya, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and UK.
The extensive engagements during the visit are a demonstration of the Indian Navy’s steadfastness towards realising the vision for a Free Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific and International Rules-Based Order.
During the visit extensive deliberations were also held towards exploring greater operational engagements between India and US at bilateral and multilateral exercises such as the Malabar, RIMPAC, Sea Dragon and Tiger Triumph. Regular Subject Matter
Expert exchange also takes place between both the Navies to institutionalise interoperability in various fields.
At the ISS, the Navy chief spoke extensively about the challenges of Human Resource Management, with specific reference to recruitment and retention of trained personnel and India’s initiatives towards addressing these through the Agnipath_ Scheme, empowering women and driving the
Indian Navy into a gender-neutral force.
His visit to the US provided a significant opportunity for Apex Level Navy to Navy engagements for deepening bilateral cooperation as well as engaging with diverse partners across the Indo-Pacific, officials said.