Even as the relationship between India and the US continues to be strained in the wake of the punitive tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi began a six-day visit to the US to boost bilateral naval ties.
The visit is aimed at strengthening the enduring maritime partnership between the Indian Navy and the US Navy.
During his visit, Admiral Tripathi will hold talks with senior officials at the US Department of War and will meet Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J. Paparo and Commander of US Pacific Fleet Admiral Stephen T. Koehler.
"These interactions will provide an opportunity to review ongoing maritime cooperation, enhance operational-level linkages, and strengthen mechanisms for information sharing and maritime domain awareness between the two navies," the Navy said in a statement.
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It further said the visit underscores the Indian Navy's commitment to deepening cooperation with the US Navy towards realising the vision of a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
Admiral Tripathi will also visit prominent American naval institutions and operational commands of the US Navy.
"Discussions are expected to focus on shared maritime priorities in the Indo-Pacific, collaboration within multilateral frameworks such as Milan, and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) initiatives," the Navy said.
Milan is a biennial multilateral naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy.
The visit comes at a time when navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan are carrying out the annual Malabar exercise in the Northern Pacific.