USS Theodore Roosevelt. (Photo: US Navy)
New Delhi: A carrier battle group led by the American aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, along with other US ships, joined forces with the Indian Navy for a training exercise in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) on July 12, the US embassy here said in a statement, on Monday. Some media outlets and open-source intelligence gatherers have reported that the exercise took place in the Arabian Sea.
The US embassy said the drill helped the two countries’ militaries work together more effectively and showed their commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open for trade and navigation. During the exercise, the US and Indian forces practised sharing information about what's happening at sea, supplying each other with food and fuel, and flying their fighter jets together, it said.
Indian Navy ships INS Aditya & INS Visakhapatnam undertook Maritime Partnership Exercise MPX with the US Naval Carrier Strike Group comprising US Navy ships USS Theodore Roosevelt & USS Daniel Inouye in the Arabian Sea on July 12. pic.twitter.com/B9yU4qd0FP
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The US units that participated in the drill were the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing 11, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118). Indian Navy warships included the guided-missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam (D66) and replenishment ship INS Aditya (A59).
INS Visakhapatnam. (Photo: Indian Navy)
This wasn’t the first time the US and India have worked together at sea. Indian ships often join exercises with the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean, as well as near India and Africa. In fact, some Indian sailors are even playing a leading role in a big international exercise happening right now off the coast of Hawaii.
The embassy further said that after the exercise, the USS Theodore Roosevelt moved on to join another American carrier group. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet, which is the biggest group of US warships permanently stationed overseas, often works with other countries to keep the Indo-Pacific region open and secure, it added.
