Admiral Harry Harris, Commander Pacific Fleet, called on Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff today at South Block, New Delhi. During the meeting, discussions were held on the conduct of the USN-IN bi-lateral exercise Malabar 2015 and other forms of bi-lateral cooperation. Enhancement of training exchanges and participation of US Navy in the prestigious International Fleet Review being organised by the Indian Navy off Visakhapatnam in Feb 2016 were also discussed.
The Commander Pacific Fleet is on a visit to India from 02 to 05 Mar 15 and is also scheduled to visit Naval Air Station, Hansa, a premier naval aviation base at Goa, besides interacting with the national Maritime Foundation and students of the National Defence College.
The Indian Navy and the US Navy cooperate with each other regularly in the fields of technical training and anti-piracy patrol and interact at various multi-lateral fora such as Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS). The two navies have been engaging with each other in the bilateral exercise MALABAR since 1992. In addition, warships from both navies call at each other’s ports, which provides them excellent opportunity for professional interaction and strengthening bridges of friendship.