Stronger ties in agenda of US official's visit

On a five-day visit to India, US chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert will discuss a range of issues with his counterparts to strengthen joint training and mutual cooperation between the two navies and meet the top brass of the defence ministry.

On a five-day visit to India, US chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert will discuss a range of issues with his counterparts to strengthen joint training and mutual cooperation between the two navies and meet the top brass of the defence ministry.

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"Admiral Greenert will be visiting some of the important naval offices in the country and will interact with the top officials of the Indian Navy. Today he will call on defence minister AK Antony and defence secretary Shashikant Sharma," Navy officials said. He will also meet the three Service chiefs.

The visit by the top United States officer is taking place a week after the navies of India and the US concluded their 10-day long Malabar-series exercise in the Bay of Bengal.

After interacting with the top brass, Admiral Greenert will visit the Western Naval Command at Mumbai and meet its Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral DK Joshi and Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Girish Luthra.

"In Mumbai, he will also go to the Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL) and from there he will proceed to Goa where he will visit INS Hansa naval base and will meet Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai," they said.

From Goa, Admiral Greenert will go to Karvar, which is a major hub of the navy's training activities and will meet the Flag Officer Karvar Area Rear Admiral Atul Jain.

The visit will culminate at Kochin where the Admiral will interact with Southern Naval Commander Vice Admiral KN Sushil.

"During the visit, Admiral Greenert will discuss a range of issues such as ways to strengthen joint training and mutual cooperation between the navies of US and India," the officials said.