Closer Indo-US naval ties mooted

'US plans to have Indian Navy liaison officer'

In an astonishing proposal that can impact foreign policy and have far-reaching political ramifications, a top US Navy official has said the US plans to have an Indian Navy official on the staff of the US Pacific Command, for closer cooperation between the two armed forces in fighting global terror.

If the proposal is indeed what it appears to be, then for the first time in the history of independent India, an Indian defence officer will work in another country's defence force.

India has refused to send its forces to Iraq to fight alongside US-led multinational forces, citing command-and-control issues among other reservations. The Left parties have a strong and definite view on the extent of cooperation with the US military.

Admiral William Fallon, commander of the US Pacific Command, unveiled this plan today which had apparently already been discussed with Indian naval chief Admiral Arun Prakash during Fallon's recent visit to New Delhi earlier this week.

"The presence of an Indian liaison officer round the clock will help us better understand the intricacies in the Indian Ocean and the problems of the region," Admiral Fallon said during his visit to the Navy's Western Command.

He said the Indian liaison officer could also learn a lot from this exercise and it could be a "win-win situation" for both sides. "In my previous stint as commander of US Fleet Forces Command, I had nine liaison officers from different nations and it helped a lot," he said.

He, however, said the reciprocal arrangement of having a US Navy official liaisoning with Indian Navy has not come up yet from his Indian counterpart.

Admiral Fallon, who took charge of the US Pacific Command six weeks ago, will look after the US interests that spread from the command headquarters at Honolulu in Hawai to the eastern coast of the African continent, including the Indian Ocean.

"The essence of my visit is to work out a partnership with India and other nations falling in the Pacific Command towards increased stability, security and advancement in economic development," he said.

Replying to a question as to how the joint exercises between the two navies could improve in the backdrop of the new relationship between the two nations, Fallon said, "Earlier, exercises were limited to basics, but henceforth, we may advance to complexities and exchange of information."

He said India played an important role owing to its strategic location and for being the largest democracy in the world.

The Indian Ocean and southeast Asia have witnessed several problems of late, which include the China-Taiwan issue, and proliferation of ideologically diverse terrorist groups with common methodology.

"We can now establish a system of trust and move into key areas," Admiral Fallon said.

He saluted the Indian Navy for having offered to patrol the key gateways in the aftermath of 9/11. Of all the three services, cooperation between the Indian and US Navy is the maximum.

The two services have held numerous joint exercises including one in the Malacca Straits that has brought them very close to each other. Even then, the Left was vociferous in its protest against the exercises.