Adux
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- May 19, 2006
- Messages
- 3,856
- Reaction score
- 0
5-nation war games in Bay from Sept 4
India to host the biggest ever event joined by US
Diplomatic Correspondent
The largest ever five-nation naval exercise in the region is set to begin on September 4 in the waters of the Bay of Bengal where an armada of warships and nuclear submarines from the US, India and Australia will take part.
Other two nations participating in the exercise are Japan and Singapore.
The 6-day complex naval war games hosted by India titled 'Malabar Multilateral Exercise' will by far be the biggest such exercise held in the strategic location of the Bay of Bengal that is situated among India, Bangladesh, and the western shores of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.
Bangladesh Defence officials, however, refused to make any comment on the five-nation exercise.
The September exercise will undoubtedly be dramatically different, said a highly placed intelligence official on condition of anonymity. He added that Bangladesh will not allow any warship to enter its maritime border during the exercise.
According to official websites of Executive Intelligence Review and the Indian Defence Ministry, some 20 warships including two nuclear aircraft carriers from the United States, USS Nimitz and USS Kitty Hawk, missile cruisers USS Princeton and USS Higgins, guided missile destroyers Chaffe, Pickney, Curtis Wilbur, Mustin and John Paul Jones, tankers Ericcson and Rainer and LA class nuclear-powered submarine USS Chicago will participate in the at-sea exercise.
The Indian Navy will be joining with its lone carrier INS Viraat, Russian acquired Kashin class missile destroyers INS Ranvijay and INS Ranjit, indigenous Brahmaputra class frigates and guided missile corvette INS Kurmak and Kuthar and tanker Aditya.
The Australian Navy will bring out its US acquired Oliver Hazard Peery class frigate HMS Adelaide, the Singapore Navy its French La Fayette class stealth frigate Formidable and the Japanese Navy their two destroyers -- Oonami and Udachi.
In addition, the six-day manoeuvre will also see in action shore-based Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft of the Indian Air Force as well as the Indian Navy's Sea Harrier jets and Sea King helicopters from the INS Viraat.
The American carriers will be carrying their full complement of F-18/A Hornet, F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle fighters, anti submarine helicopters and airborne early warning planes.
Indian defence officials pointed out that the location of the planned naval exercise has been chosen to maintain distance from the arc of the Pacific Ocean, and the borders of Russia and China where such moves could arouse Beijing's sensitivities.
According to media reports, Indian top naval officials said the multilateral exercise is in no way targeted at any country.
China however expressed its concern over the multilateral Bay of Bengal exercise and had alleged a quadrilateral arrangement against it comprising India, US, Japan and Australia.
The US-India military relationship has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Since 2002, the United States and India have been partners in more than 30 military exercises.
The defence relationship between the US and India has further reached a new dimension with the recent bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/08/11/d70811011510.htm
