U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, have expressed the view that ‘Tiger Triumph-24’, the Indo-U.S. bilateral Tri Services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), will further strengthen the ties between the two largest democracies in the world.
Mr. Garcetti and Vice Admiral Pendharkar were interacting with the media onboard INS Jalashwa as a part of the Tri Services Indo-U.S. amphibious exercise, at the Naval Base here on March 19 (Tuesday).
The Harbour Phase, which began in Visakhapatnam on March 18, would continue till March 25.
“Our relations have never been so strong, and we are accelerating our relations. We are India’s No. 1 partner in military exercises, No. 1 training partner, and the U.S. and India are moving forward together,” the U.S. Ambassador said.
Vice Admiral Pendharkar said: “The current exercises are meant to assess our collective response to natural disasters and to work out Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).”
On reported incidents of Chinese research vessels moving close to the Indian waters, Vice Admiral Pendhakar said, “The Indian Navy is vigilant and ensures that they don’t trespass into our waters. The Indian Navy is the first responder to any HADR situation in the region. We have gone around helping nations that sought our help. All forces across the world have developed capabilities to respond to HADR. The combined exercises will help in synergising these efforts in a collective and better manner.”
“The nature of warfare is changing from a traditional to non-tradition systems. The nature of defence is also changing. The joint exercises will help in exchange of knowledge and technology, and in future, we may add more areas for mutual cooperation,” he added.
On what signals India and the U.S. wanted to send to the world through these exercises, Mr. Garcetti said, “We are two great democracies and close friends. We want to strengthen our bilateral relations.”
Earlier, at a programme held to mark the launch of Tiger Triumph, Commanding Officer of INS Jalashwa Captain Sandeep Biswal described the event as a “continuation of Milan-2024,” which concluded in Visakhapatnam recently.
The exercise was aimed at facing the challenges of transnational crimes and natural disasters across maritime borders, apart from collaboration between the partner nations.
Commanding Officer of USS Somerset Captain Michel C. Brandt described it as the largest bilateral exercise meant to promote mutual trust and cooperation. They would help in the exchange of best practices and building friendship.
Rear Admiral Joaquin J. Martinez de Pinilos, Reserve Vice Commander of U.S. Seventh Fleet, and Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankar, Flag Officer Commanding Easter Fleet, were present.
