N-powered US aircraft carrier to participate in Indo-US naval exercise

Mumbai, Oct 15 (IANS) An array of US naval vessels, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, will take part in the India-US Malabar-08 war game off the Goa coast, it was officially announced here Wednesday.

The US Navy will be represented at the 12th edition of the exercise, scheduled for Oct 17-22, by the Ronald Reagan Strike Group of the US 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan. It will include USS Chancellorsville, USS Gridley, USS Decatur, USS Thach and USS Bridge, an underway replenishment tanker.

Apart from these, a submarine, USS Springfield and a P3C Orion aircraft will take part in the exercises.

The Indian Navy will deploy INS Mumbai, an indigenous guided missile destroyer, INS Rana, a Rajput Class guided missile destroyer and four guided missile frigates - INS Talwar, INS Godavari, INS Brahmaputra and INS Betwa.

In addition, the INS Aditya, an underway replenishment tanker, a Shishumar Class submarine, Sea Harrier fighters, fixed and rotary wing aircraft will also take part.

The thrust of the exercise this year would be on surface/air operations, advanced anti-submarine warfare, submarine operations, surface firings, visit board search and seizure (VBSS).

Over the years, the India-US interaction has resulted in an increase in the complexity and professional content of the bilateral exercise. Towards this, an India-USA Framework for Maritime Security Cooperation was signed in 2006.

The exercise is aimed at deriving benefit from the experiences of the two navies, which have significant convergence of interests, especially in the maintenance of maritime security in this fragile region, the statement said.

The confidence gained through interoperability during such exercises, and sharing best practices, has proved to be of immense use, particularly, when involved in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, the statement said.