Indian Navy Conducts Trilateral Military Exercises With Japan, United States

Indian Navy Conducts Trilateral Military Exercises With Japan, United States

The Indian Navy Monday conducted its first trilateral exercise with its counterparts from the US and Japan off the Japanese coast in an effort aimed at sharing operational and doctrinal expertise.The guided missile destroyer Mysore, the guided missile corvette Kulthar and the tanker Jyoti participated in the day-long exercise conducted off Yokosuka in Chiba prefecture, an Indian Navy officer here said.Two destroyers of the US Seventh Fleet and three vessels of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force also participated in the drill.The Indian ships are part of a flotilla of five frontline vessels that are on an extended deployment in Southeast and East Asian waters for exercises with regional navies, as also those from China and Russia, apart from the US and Japan.The other two vessels, the guided missile destroyers Rana and Ranjit, will Tuesday conclude a five-day exercise with the Chinese Navy off Quingdao before the flotilla reassembles and heads for a drill with the Russian Navy off Vladivostok April 22-26.The Indian Navy's eastern fleet commander, Rear Admiral R.K. Dhowan, leads the flotilla. On the return leg, the Indian ships will exercise with the navies of the Philippines and Vietnam. Two ships, Mysore and Kultar, will thereafter proceed to Singapore to participate in the biennial International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) May 15-19.'This would provide us with an opportunity to showcase our shipbuilding capability through these ships that are designed and built indigenously, as also our ability to align and keep pace with the rapid technological advances in the field of military hardware and systems,' said Indian Navy assistant chief Rear Admiral Pradeep Chauhan.The Indian Navy chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, and his counterparts from 22 nations will also attend IMDEX-2007. The two-month deployment began March 18 and was meant 'to spread the message of goodwill, present a microcosmic mosaic of India, and build bridges of friendship with India's littoral neighbours', Chauhan said.'The deployment is an intrinsic part of the ongoing effort at constructive engagement being undertaken by the Indian Navy in concert with other instruments and mechanisms of the nation's diplomacy,' he added. The Indian Navy has already engaged with its US counterpart in a bilateral exercise April 6-11 off Japan, and prior to that with the Singapore Navy.'The port calls and the opportunities to engage and exercise with the navies of the region would enable the Indian Navy to gain and share operational and doctrinal expertise and transformational experiences, examine and imbibe international best practices, promote inter-operability, and enhance maritime domain awareness,' Chauhan pointed out.