Washington: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the relations between India and the US will further strengthen in near future.
Ahead of participating in 2+2 dialogue in Washington, he visited the Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana and Naval Station Norfolk.
The visit highlighted the depth of the US-India defence partnership and the close ties between the Navies of the two countries, the Defence Ministry said.
During the visit to NAS Oceana, Mr Singh inspected a Boeing Mobile Flight Simulator, static display and F/A-18E flight demonstration.
The Indian delegation also toured the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), which is located at Naval Station Norfolk.
The minister was accompanied by Ambassador of India to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, other senior officials of the Government of India and active-duty military officers.
The Indian delegation was greeted by James Anderson, who is performing the duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Rear Adm.
Mr Singh said that his visit reflected on the strong defence ties between India and the United States and hoped that the relations will further strengthen in the near future.
The US officials said they were honoured to host Mr Singh and the Indian delegation to Naval Air Station Oceana and onboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, adding that the visit will further bolster the partnerships between the two countries.
India and the United States continue to build defence cooperation ties through military exercises, defence trade and official visits & exchanges, including this visit to the largest US naval base in the world, it added.
