Top US Defence Official in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) With India increasingly assuming a prominent role in the fight against global terror, top defence officials from key partners in this endeavour are making a beeline for New Delhi -- and a US Admiral is currently visiting here for talks with the Indian Armed Forces top brass to identify ''areas of mutual interest'' and chalk out ''plans aimed at furthering military cooperation''.

Barely days ahead of a landmark multi-nation naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal, Admiral Timothy J Keating -- Commander of the US Pacific Command based in Hawaii -- held daylong ''interesting discussions'' here today with ''key leaders'' in the military and the Indian bureaucracy.

''We've shared interests... shared values... and foremost among them is the fight against global terror,'' Admiral Keating told mediapersons here this evening after the ''very good day'' he had had in the capital today.

Admiral Keating, who reports directly to US President George W Bush and Secretary of Defence Robert Gates in the operational chain of command, held a flurry of meetings to give ''yet another thrust'' to the rapidly-expanding Indo-US defence ties.

He met Army Chief -- also Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee -- General JJ Singh, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal FH Major.

The US Admiral also met Defence Secretary Vijay Singh.

Apart from discussing ''security perspectives'', the US four-star Officer also dwelt on how to further increase the ''scope and complexity'' of Indo-US military exercises.

Admiral Keating has been understood to have been pushing for aggressive expansion of bilateral defence relations between India and the US. At a recent Congressional hearing, he had identified India as the biggest potential defence partner in the region.

''We're encouraged by India's willingness to deal with us, to exercise with us and to exchange, again, a broad array of officers for individual and group training... And we are going to pursue this expansion with them aggressively,'' Admiral Keating had said.

''Our (Indian and US) militaries need to continue to build trust and confidence and become more interoperable... We should establish agreements and procedures that will allow us to build shared doctrine and communications architectures,'' Admiral Keating, who commands all US forces in the entire Asia-Pacific region, had told the US Congress recently.

While Indian Armed Forces have held exercises with several countries in the recent past, the sheer number of combat manoeuvres undertaken with US forces has been simply staggering. The two have held around 50 such exercises over the past six years -- with another eight earmarked for 2007 alone -- to build ''interoperability''.

Later this week, Indian and US Special Forces will kick-start the 20-day 'Vajra Prahar' exercise at the Army's elite Counter- Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairengte in Mizoram.

Then, there is the 13th Indo-US 'Malabar' exercise between September 4 and 9 in the Bay of Bengal which will also feature a few warships from Japan, Singapore and Australia.

This gigantic exercise will see the US deploying as many as 13 warships, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, another conventional aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and the nuclear submarine USS Chicago.

Interestingly, Admiral Keating has served on both USS Nimitz and USS Kitty Hawk.

According to knowledgeable sources here, India and US were now engaged in exploring ways to 'operationalise' the bilateral framework for Maritime Security Cooperation (MSCF) -- with the two looking at joint anti-piracy patrols by their navies and coast guards as the first step.

This -- in collaboration with other littoral states -- was expected to go a long way in the fight against global terror, the sources pointed out.

Earlier this week, Australian Naval Chief Admiral Russ Shalders held discussions with the top Indian military brass in the capital to identify areas of mutual interest in the Indian Ocean region -- crucial for both countries as major fuel and trade routes run through these waters -- to make ground for possible joint operations in the future.

For the first time, Indian Navy officers will travel to Australia later this year as observers to the multi-nation Kakadu and Pacific Reach exercises.

The latter will hold specific interest for the Indian Navy as it is focused on submarine rescue operations and will involve China and Pakistan, besides other countries. The Indian Navy is procuring a number of submarines and looking to expand its underwater operations in the near future.

Tomorrow, Japanese Defence Minister Yuriko Koike was scheduled to meet Defence Minister AK Antony as part of her two-nation tour of India and Pakistan to discuss her country's role in anti-terror operations.

While current regulations restrict the active use of Japanese Defence Forces in anti-terror operations, Tokyo is looking anew at domestic laws to enhance its role on the war against terror.

UNI