New Delhi. Admiral John Michael Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy, has been on an official tour to India from May 12 to 14.

His visit is intended to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and US and also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

Admiral Richardson had discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman COSC and Chief of the Naval Staff on May 13. He also interacted with Defence Secretary, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman COSC and the National Security Council Secretariat.

Indian Navy and US Navy interact regularly at bilateral and multilateral forums and participate in maritime exercises such as MALABAR and RIMPAC. Regular Subject Matter Expert exchange also takes place between both the navies to institutionalise interoperability in various fields.

After being accorded Major Defence Partner status by US in 2016, India – US ties have grown significantly in recent years. The inaugural Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue conducted in September 2018 also facilitated new avenues for defence cooperation between the two countries.

Major issues discussed during the visit included operations and exercises, training interactions, information exchange, capacity building and capability enhancement.