Mumbai: Two-member US congressional delegation visits western naval command headquarters

Pic/Twitter@IN_WNC

A two-member United States Congressional delegation visited the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command headquarters, the Navy has said, reported news agency PTI.

The delegation included representatives Rohit Khanna and Deborah Ross accompanied by Vikram Krishnamoorthy, Under Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.

The visiting members interacted with Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command (WNC), and other Flag and senior officers of the command on Friday.

During their visit, the delegation was given a presentation on the roles, responsibilities and activities of WNC and a tour of the indigenous destroyer INS Kochi. They also visited Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, where they were apprised of the indigenous ship-building capabilities of MDL, reported PTI.

India and US are party to the annually conducted Maritime Security Dialogue and India-US Naval cooperation has grown substantially over the last two decades, the Navy said.

The relationship between the two navies is spread over a wide canvas, which includes the annual bilateral exercise 'Malabar', multilateral exercise 'RIMPAC', high-level delegation visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) and goodwill visits by naval ships, it said.

"Both the navies are committed to ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region and therefore cooperation in the maritime domain is the most enduring and key facet of engagement between the two countries," the release said, reported PTI.

The current visit by the US Congressional delegation contributes to improving, understanding and strengthening the relationship between the two countries, it added.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu will launch frigate 'Vindhyagiri' in Kolkata on August 17, the Indian Navy said on Sunday.

Named after the mountain range in Karnataka, Vindhyagiri is the sixth ship of the Project 17A programme.
It will be launched by President Murmu at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata on August 17, the Navy said.

"Vindhyagiri, a technologically advanced frigate, pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri," it said.

The old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from July 1981 to Jun 2012, had witnessed various challenging operations and multinational exercises.

"The newly christened Vindhyagiri stands as a symbol of India's determination to embrace its rich naval heritage while propelling itself towards a future of indigenous defence capabilities," the Navy said in a statement.

Under the Project 17A programme, a total of four ships by Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) and three ships by GRSE are under construction.

The project's first five ships have been launched by the MDL and GRSE between 2019 and 2022.

"Project 17A ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau, the pioneer organisation for all warship design activities," the Navy said.

"A substantial 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," it said.

"The launch of Vindhyagiri is an apt testament to the incredible progress our nation has made in building a self-reliant naval force," the Navy added.

(With inputs from PTI)