Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Admiral Harry Harris will hold talks with top Defence Ministry officials here on Tuesday to further strengthen robust ties between the navies of the two countries and ways to ensure security of the strategically important Indian Ocean region.
Harris will discuss these issues with Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan and later call on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, officials said here on Monday. His visit comes weeks after President Barack Obama said the US was “primed to unlock” the potential of relations with India as part of its rebalance to Asia and the Pacific. Obama made these remarks while unveiling his new national security policy on February 7, days after his second trip to India.
Indian and US Navy relations have grown over the last one decade and they now hold regular bilateral exercises. Moreover, defence ties have also moved forward with the US now emerging as the biggest arms suppliers to India. US in the last five to seven years sold equipments worth over ten billion dollars and some more deals are in the pipeline.
Reflecting the ties, Obama’s new National Security Strategy said in South Asia, the US continues to strengthen its strategic and economic partnership with India. “We support India’s role as a regional provider of security and its expanded participation in critical regional institutions. We see a strategic convergence with India’s Act East policy and our continued implementation of the rebalance to Asia and the Pacific,” the strategy said.
Speaking at the Senate Armed Services Committee in December, Admiral Harris had said the US was committed to a broad defence trade and technology relationship with India to assist it in military modernisation efforts.
United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) area of responsibility stretches from the waters off the west coast of the US to the western border of India and from Antarctica to the North Pole.
This command comprises 200 ships, nearly 600 aircraft and 140,000 sailors and civilians.