Maintaining that the maritime exercise ‘Malabar’, in which it is participating along with the Indian and US Navies in the Bay of Bengal this week, “was not targeted against any country,” the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) expressed interest to join efforts to ensure free navigation in the oceans.
Observing that ‘Mabalar’ was a “very routine and very transparent” exercise, Commander of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet Vice Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin said professional navies needed to interact and do exercises and he did not see “any harm doing these exercises.”
Vice Admiral B.K. Verma of the Indian Navy, who avoided a direct response to the query, said the exercise was aimed at improving the interoperability of the forces. While the Indian Navy expected Japan to be part of the exercise in the future, the US Navy stated it would like Japan to participate on a more regular basis.
China’s State-run news agency, Xinhua, in a recent write-up had observed that Washington was “pushing” for making the bilateral exercise into a trilateral framework, involving Japan as a permanent participant.
Terming all three maritime forces as “indispensable partners” in the region, JMSDF’s Vice Admiral Murakawa said, “I would also like to confirm that we would like to continue our efforts in the exercise and cooperate with India and the US.”
As it was for “free access to sea-borne commerce and professional interaction between maritime forces,” Vice Admiral Aucoin said, “Like the Indian and the United States navies, the JMSDF has demonstrated a high standard of professional excellence..”
Holding that the exercises would benefit all three forces, Vice Admiral Verma said, “Learning doctrinal and operational aspects will go a long way in interoperability.”
The 19th edition of the exercise would involve a destroyer, two frigates, a fleet support ship, a submarine, a long range maritime patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy and ships of the US Navy including its nuclear-powered aircraft-carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, besides aircraft. A destroyer represents the JMSDF in the exercise.
Vice Admiral B.K. Verma of the Indian Navy, who avoided a direct response to the query, said the exercise was aimed at improving the interoperability of the forces. While the Indian Navy expected Japan to be part of the exercise in the future, the US Navy stated it would like Japan to participate on a more regular basis.
China’s State-run news agency, Xinhua, in a recent write-up had observed that Washington was “pushing” for making the bilateral exercise into a trilateral framework, involving Japan as a permanent participant.
Terming all three maritime forces as “indispensable partners” in the region, JMSDF’s Vice Admiral Murakawa said, “I would also like to confirm that we would like to continue our efforts in the exercise and cooperate with India and the US.”
As it was for “free access to sea-borne commerce and professional interaction between maritime forces,” Vice Admiral Aucoin said, “Like the Indian and the United States navies, the JMSDF has demonstrated a high standard of professional excellence..”
Holding that the exercises would benefit all three forces, Vice Admiral Verma said, “Learning doctrinal and operational aspects will go a long way in interoperability.”
The 19th edition of the exercise would involve a destroyer, two frigates, a fleet support ship, a submarine, a long range maritime patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy and ships of the US Navy including its nuclear-powered aircraft-carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, besides aircraft. A destroyer represents the JMSDF in the exercise.
No comments:
Post a Comment