The India Navy is committed towards realising the vision for a Free Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific
Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar has held extensive discussions with the naval leadership of Indo-Pacific nations like the US, Japan, South Korea, and Canada on closer cooperation in the region.

The discussions took place at the 25th International Seapower Symposium (ISS) conducted by the US Navy at US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island from September 19-22, 2023.

The gathering provides the opportunity to engage with the friendly foreign countries towards "the shared vision of enhancing maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific," India's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday (September 24, 2023).

Participating in the event, Admiral R Hari Kumar also spoke extensively about the challenges of Human Resource Management, with specific reference to recruitment and retention of trained personnel and India’s initiatives towards addressing these through the Agnipath Scheme, empowering women and driving the Indian Navy into a gender-neutral force. 

Additionally, Admiral R Hari Kumar also held bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the ISS with his counterparts from various countries including the USA, Australia, Egypt, Fiji, Israel, Italy Japan, Kenya, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore & UK.

The extensive engagements during the visit are a demonstration of the Indian Navy’s steadfastness towards realising the vision for a Free Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific and International Rules-Based Order, the Ministry of Defence said. 

"The visit of the CNS to the US provided a significant opportunity for Apex Level Navy to Navy engagements for deepening bilateral cooperation as well as engaging with diverse partners across the Indo-Pacific," the Ministry of Defence said. 

During the visit, extensive deliberations were also held towards exploring greater Indian Navy-US Navy operational engagements at bilateral and multilateral exercises such as the Malabar, RIMPAC, Sea Dragon and Tiger Triumph. 

Malabar is a maritime exercise between the navies of the Quad nations - India, US, Japan, and Australia. RIMPAC, on the other hand, is regarded as the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

Sea Dragon is a coordinated multilateral Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise for Long Range MR ASW aircraft. It is conducted by the US Navy and includes participants from India, Japan, Canada, and South Korea. 

Tiger Triumph is the name of the Tri-Services India-US Amphibious Exercise between the Indian Navy and the US Navy. The inaugural edition of the exercise was held in 2019.

In addition to these joint drills, regular Subject Matter Expert exchange also takes place between both the navies to institutionalise interoperability in various fields.