Indian Navy conducts passing exercise with US Navy's USS Nimitz nuclear-powered aircraft carrier; watch here

New Delhi: The Indian Navy on Monday (July 20, 2020) conducted Passex (passing exercises) with the United States (US) Navy's USS Nimitz, which is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. 

The Indian Navy ships Rana, Sahyadri, Shivalik and Kamorta, operated together with the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), along with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group's Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114).

The cooperative exercises took place near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and transited through the Indian Ocean region.

Watch US Navy's USS Nimitz nuclear-powered aircraft carrier passing exercise with the Indian Navy#USNavy #IndianNavy pic.twitter.com/0Gtanc7B9O — Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) July 20, 2020

The US Navy's Chief of Information Rear Admiral Charlie Brown said, "It is good to have friends. From Nimitz in the Indian Ocean to Exercise Sea Breeze in the Black Sea, the US Navy exercises with our professional counterparts in navies around the world. There is much we can accomplish together."

It is good to have friends. From #Nimitz in the Indian Ocean to #ExerciseSeaBreeze in the Black Sea, the @USNavy exercises with our professional counterparts in navies around the world. There is much we can accomplish together https://t.co/SkmGpWxjfL — Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) July 20, 2020

Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, Commander, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group expressed, "It was a privilege to operate with the Indian Navy." 

Talking about Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, who is a Flag Officer in the Indian Navy, Jim Kirk stated, "RADM Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, leads a powerful and highly skilled Fleet. The opportunity to have the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group join with his Fleet for a series of exercises improved our interoperability and is a testimony to the flexibility of both our Navies."

The US and Indian naval forces carried out the high-end exercises designed to maximize training and interoperability, including air defence.

The Indian Navy had recently conducted similar passing exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and French Navy.

The US-India Passex (passing exercise) off the Andaman and Nicobar coast in Malacca Strait is going to send out a strong message to China which was involved in a violent-clash with India on June 15 in Ladakh.

The India-China face-off in the Galwan Valley witnessed 20 Indian Army soldiers being killed in action, whereas, over 50 reportedly died on the People's Liberation Army side.

China is known for its involvement in illegally expanding its borders over the South China Sea against the objection of its neighbouring countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. The Chinese are also infamous for encroaching the land of their neighbours at the cost of peace and tranquillity of the region.

Such naval engagements are also going to strengthen the bond between the world's oldest and largest democracies.

Notably, the India-US exercises in the Malacca Strait comes just a few weeks after the USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) strike groups carried out wargames in the Philippine Sea. 

According to a few media reports, Australia may join the Malabar exercise, which is a trilateral naval exercise involving India, the US, and Japan as permanent partners. The Malabar exercise is expected to take place later this year.