Really! We're SUPER serial.
Posted on 08/23/2007 9:05:40 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the biggest naval wargame to be hosted by India in the Bay of Bengal, a top American military official on Thursday scotched China's fears that the exercise involving US, Australia and Japan was aimed at isolating the communist country.
US Navy's Pacific Commander Timothy J Keating observed that Indo-US military ties had become "more robust" but side stepped questions about opposition from the Left parties to the upcoming Malabar exercise, merely saying, "It is what democracy is all about."
The four-day Malabar exercise beginning on September 4, which will see the biggest congregation of warships in the Bay of Bengal since the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, is a reflection of the "shared interest" of India, US, Australia and Singapore, Keating told reporters.
At the same time, he said, "We want to minimise the potential areas of misunderstanding and confusion between all of us and China."
The manouvres are not aimed at forming a "quadilateral front" against China, said Keating, who is on a four-day visit here to discuss ties between the navies of India and the US.
"Let me emphasise, there is is no effort on our part or any of these other countries (participating in the exercises) to isolate China or put Beijing in a closet," Keating said.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1874372/posts
NEW DELHI, JULY 31 (PTI) The biggest ever armada of warships including Indian vessels and nuclear submarines from the US and Australia will be in action off the Bay of Bengal in early September for some complex multi-nation sea war games.
The navies of India, the US, Australia, Japan and Singapore will take part in the exercise which will witness nuclear powered aircraft carriers, advanced air early warning planes and fighters display their prowess. This will be biggest assembly of fighting sea machines in the area, since the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict.
While US, Japan and India have held similar exercises off the Japanese coast last winter, this is the first time that the Australian Navy would be taking part in such manouveres.
Aware that the assembly of such a large flotilla could raise eyebrows in the immediate neighbourhood, the war game planners have said the holding of exercise in no manner could be taken as setting up of a" front against anybody".
" There is no movement of setting up of a Quadrilateral force or front against anybody" said Rear Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Assistant Chief of the Naval staff.
Briefing newsmen on the scope and nature of the exercises, Chauhan made it clear that Indian policy was not not to join any " front or force" making it clear that Indian Navy was only" India Centric".
Similar exercises in the Sea of Japan had earlier evoked sharp reaction from the Chinese media.
The naval exercises would be held midway between the country's east coast and its island territories in the Andaman Islands from September 4 to 9, Chauhan said.
For the exercises, the American Nuclear powered carrier USS Nimitz, whose docking off the Chennai coast sparked off protests in the country, will be back off Indian waters leading the 13-strong US warship flotilla.
Besides Nimitz, Americans are fielding the other carrier USS Kitty Hawk, Missile cruisers Princeton and Higgins, Guided Missile destroyers Chaffe, Pickney, Curtis Wilbur, Mustin and John Paul Jones and tankers Ericcson and Rainer.
Also on view would be the LA class Nuclear powered Submarine USS Chicago. Indian navy would be fielding 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.
Taking part for the time, Australian Navy will bring its US acquired Oliver Hazard Peery class frigate HMS Adelaide, Singapore its french La Fayatte class stealth frigate Formidable and Japanese their two destroyers -- Oonami and Udachi.
The American carriers will be carrying their full complement of F-18/A Hornet and F-14 and F-15 fighters, anti submarine helicopters and Airborne Early warning planes.
Indian naval air power would be led by Sea Harriers, Sea King helicopters and Kamov anti-submarine and Airborne Early Warning choppers. Four shore-based Jaguar deep penetration maritime strike fighters will also be in action.
Australia keen on ties, but not at China’s cost
21 Aug 2007, 0349 hrs IST
NEW DELHI: Australia might not be in favour of a quadrilateral security dialogue with India, US and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region to avoid antagonising prickly China, but it certainly wants to boost bilateral military cooperation with India.
Close on the heels of Australian defence minister Brendan Nelson’s visit to India last month for talks on sharing counter-terrorism, maritime security and other “classified” information, his Navy chief is now in town to take the bilateral defence agenda forward.
With both India and Australia agreeing that there is “a confluence of interests” between them, especially in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), vice-admiral Russell Edward Shalders held talks with Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Army chief General J J Singh, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal F H Major and defence secretary Vijay Singh on Monday.
The Australian navy chief will be visiting both the Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam and the Western Naval Command at Mumbai over the next few days for a first-hand look at India’s growing maritime prowess.
Two Australian warships, frigate HMAS Adelaide and tanker HMAS Sirius will be taking part in the five-nation “Malabar” exercise slated between September 4-9 in the Bay of Bengal.
Though the huge exercise will mainly revolve around Indian and US warships, it will also include participation from Japan and Singapore, apart from Australia. While Indian warships have exercised with the other countries before, including the trilateral exercise with US and Japan off Yokosuka near Tokyo Bay in April, this will be the first such intensive combat manoeuvres with Australian warships.
This is an indicator that Australia is finally shedding its long-standing suspicion of India’s growing naval role in IOR.
“Apart from joint exercises, the two nations are now talking about cooperation in ship designing and construction. They are also exchanging notes on capacity building of smaller nations in their respective regions,” said an official.
“The bilateral Maritime Security Operations Working Group and the defence sub-group will also meet soon,” he added.
Having established a broad relationship with China in recent years, Canberra naturally does not want to upset Beijing, which has already opposed the emerging quadrilateral “axis of democracy” in the Asia-Pacific region. Be that as it may, new Chinese capabilities like its anti-satellite weapon test on January 11 have been dubbed “disruptive” in Australia’s new defence strategy blueprint. India, in turn, finds favourable mention.
China miffed as India cements ties with 3 nations
The ‘quadrilateral’ of the United States, Japan, Australia and India has driven China round the bend but New Delhi is swiftly coursing towards fine-tuning its ties with those countries.
Unmoved by Beijing referring to the grouping as “Asian Nato” and the Left’s high-decibel opposition to India kowtowing to the American line, the government seems to be in no mood to tone down its growing strategic and military ties with these nations.
With several bilateral exchanges, high-profile visits and multilateral war games in the pipeline, the days ahead are full of opportunities to foster relations with the US, Japan and Australia, both militarily and otherwise.
In a visit aimed at addressing common security concerns, Vice Admiral Russ E Shalders, chief of the Royal Australian Navy, arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit on Monday. Shalders was given a presentation on India’s appreciation of the situation in the Indian Ocean region. He met defence secretary Vijay Singh and the three service chiefs.
Australia has been invited to take part in the Indo-US joint naval exercises Malabar 07, which will take place in the Bay of Bengal from September 4-9. It is sending a destroyer, HMS Adelaide and a logistics support ship. Over 20 warships are participating in these war games, with Japan and Singapore also contributing assets to build a climate of confidence.
Ping!
Good news!
It’s not aimed at china, it’s a game and the enemy is a mythical middle communist kingdom the exports crappy lead tainted toys.
I wish there was an edit post button so I could change “the” to “that”.
Good stuff, but the article is absent a fact...
F-14s are no longer in operational service on any U.S. carrier...
Lol!
An assembly of sane nations.
Nooooooo... It’s not you.... Noooo...
What, you say the fake bodies floatingin the water resemble your generals.... Thaaaaat’s just coincience.
Now go away before we kick your arse!
What is the one thing all these navys have in common?
I’ll bite on that question.
What?
Asia pinglist ping.
23 Aug 2007, 0352 hrs IST
NEW DELHI: A last-minute move by some political elements, both in and outside the UPA government, to call for a ‘sacrifice’ of the forthcoming Malabar naval exercise to placate the Left and buy time on the crucial Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation deal has been nuked.
The message emanating from South Block on Wednesday, after a meeting between defence minister AK Antony and Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, was that the gigantic Malabar exercise would go ahead as scheduled from September 4 in the Bay of Bengal.
“Either deferring or cancelling the five-nation Malabar exercise would have sent very wrong signals. India has to stick to its international commitments. The Prime Minister himself was briefed on the matter,” said a source.
Most of the 18 foreign warships participating in the war games have already set sail for the exercise area between Visakhapatnam and the Andaman Islands.
These include 13 American warships, ranging from nuclear submarine USS Chicago, two Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and six Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers to aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Kitty Hawk.
ping.
English speakers/Former Parts of the British Empire of long ago...
With the exception of Japan...whoooppss...
You’re still not entirely off. We did kick their ass and occupy them for awhile ;)
I'm thinking this so called reporter is an idiot... While I'm not sure all the F-14's are history yet, never has an F-15 set wheel one on a carrier... being an Air Force fighter and not carrier capable and all... Just a SMALL point. It also seems that there are no F-18E/F's on carriers as well... Nor surveillance aircraft, nor... Oh I've had enough of dolts writing as if they know anything about carriers... The guys a dunce!
and the fact that the f-15 is a land based fighter...
Yeah, it's aimed at those Andaman Islands tribesmen who keep acting up. ;)
What I’d like to know is why we’re so wimpy about characterizing these maneuvers as “not being against China” when The Chinese & Russians made a point of telling us their joint-maneuvers were specifically against the US?
The F14 Tomcat is history. Many are being shredded as we speak/type, ostensibly to prevent their parts from finding their way to Iran (which has the only remaining examples still flying).
No F-15s...nor will their be a navalized F-22 which Xlinton rejected back in '93, and sadly, yes,
the last F-14 squadron was already retired last year leaving an interceptor capability void....
And F-15’s never were
Good read. Bump!
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