Army, Navy chiefs hold seperate talks with US Indo-Pacific commander

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari held separate talks with Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Thursday held separate talks with Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino with a focus on the situation in the Indo-Pacific and the conflict in Ukraine.

Admiral Aquilino was in India to participate in the Raisina Dialogue, India's premier foreign policy and geo-economics conference.

On Wednesday, he met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar.

The Army said Gen Naravane and Admiral Aquilino discussed ways to enhance bilateral defence ties.

"Admiral John C Aquilino, Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command

@INDOPACOM called on General MM Naravane #COAS and discussed ways to enhance the existing bilateral defence cooperation," it tweeted.

The Indian Air Force said Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari and the visiting American commander deliberated on wide-ranging issues including joint training and exercises.

"Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command called on Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari #CAS today. Wide ranging issues of mutual interest including joint training and exercises were discussed during the meeting," the IAF tweeted.

Officials said the security challenges in Indo-Pacific and implications of the Ukraine crisis for regional security figured in Admiral Aquilino's talks with Gen Naravane and Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari.

The US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) is the oldest and largest combatant command of the US that is responsible for American military activities in the Indo-Pacific.

Defence Minister Singh had visited the headquarters of the INDOPACOM in Hawai earlier this month.