BOMBAY, 28 October 2006 — Indian and US navies conducted joint exercises yesterday off India’s western coast where destroyers, frigates and submarines took part. The two navies are engaged in exercises including anti-submarine operations, boarding hostile vessels and a “simulated war at sea,” the Indian Navy said in a statement. A Canadian frigate also joined the exercises.
More than 6,500 US Navy personnel will take part in the exercises, which run through Nov. 5, the US Embassy said. “The purpose of the multinational exercise, which focuses on a number of naval mission areas, is to strengthen ties between American, Canadian and Indian forces as well as enhance the cooperative security relationship between the nations involved,” the embassy said in a statement.
The exercises, which began on Wednesday, involve several American and Indian destroyers, guided-missile frigates and other warships carrying out combat, search-and-rescue and patrolling maneuvers in the Arabian Sea.
The exercises, code-named “Malabar-06,” also include air operations, sea control missions aimed at preventing piracy and counterterrorism actions at sea. Over the past five years, India and the United States have held several joint naval exercises off India’s western and southern coasts. Indian ships have also conducted joint patrols with US ships in the Strait of Malacca.
“Such navy-to-navy interactions help us to hone our skills,” said Capt. V.K. Garg, the Indian Navy spokesman. “It improves mutual understanding and cooperation and helps evolve interoperability through common drills and procedures.” “The United States and India share democratic traditions, and we share seafaring traditions,” said Capt. David Angood, a US naval commander with the USS Boxer.
The United States “looks forward to ... advancing into more complex operational and strategic areas that go beyond tactical exercises,” Angood said. The Indian and US militaries had little interaction during the Cold War when India was closer to the Soviet Union, while the United States was seen to be allied with India’s neighbor and rival, Pakistan.
