Nuclear carrier USS Nimitz, which visited Chennai amid protests, will soon be back. This time in the company of yet another carrier, USS Kitty Hawk.
NEW DELHI: American nuclear carrier USS Nimitz, which visited Chennai amid protests, will soon be back. This time in the company of yet another American carrier, USS Kitty Hawk —the only conventionally fueled aircraft carrier with the US Navy — as India, US, Japan, Australia and Singapore comes together to stage an unprecedented joint exercise and further deepen suspicion of an anti-Chinese alliance taking shape.
The largest naval exercise ever hosted by India would see ships from India, US, Australia, Japan and Singapore converging in the Bay of Bengal in the first week of September.
The five-day exercise would have 20 ships, sources said. Sources said the largest naval exercise in Indian waters would feature surface ships, submarines and maritime aircrafts.
This exercise comes at a time when the Chinese have expressed concerns over the quadripartite meeting between the US, Japan, India and Australia on May 24 and 25 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila. China was annoyed enough to ask all the countries for a formal explanation on the meeting, while reminding them to be “open and inclusive”.
The five-sided exercise is taking place also against the backdrop of the first ever Indo-US-Japan bilateral naval exercise in April, which had kicked up concerns about India being sucked into an anti-Chinese alliance.
Sources said the US side has confirmed the participation of sprawling aircraft carriers Nimitz and Kitty Hawk. India would be fielding its only aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, besides other ships. A squadron of Indian Air Force’s Jaguar maritime fighters too would take part in the exercise.
China is growing increasingly suspicious of the growing Indo-US strategic partnership and the engagements with other countries in the region. The growing partnership certainly fits into America’s “contagement” — containment and engagement — strategy for China.
After the first naval exercise between India, US and Japan in April, there is a proposal to formally take on Japan as a permanent invitee to the Malabar series of Indo-US naval exercises.
However, Indian officials pointed out that India has a growing military relation with China.
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