Looking to scale up engagement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits Hawaii command

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a rare visit to the US military command whose role extends from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, is expected to meet top military leaders and visit training facilities as the two nations look at scaling up engagement.

Following the two-plus-two dialogue in Washington DC, Singh reached the Hawaii headquarters of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), where he was received by Admiral John Aquilino.

The USINDOPACOM and the Indian military have wide-ranging engagements, including a number of military exercises, training events and exchanges, which are expected to be scaled up in the coming months, given the increased focus on collaboration, especially on the Naval front. The annual Malabar series of exercises between India, US, Japan and Australia is also coordinated by the USINDOPACOM.


The minister will visit the command headquarters, the US Pacific Fleet and be taken for a tour of the training facilities of the joint command. The visit comes as several engagements are planned, including the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference and Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar that India will be co-hosting.

Earlier this year, India and the US had co-hosted the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, which brought together experts from 38 countries to discuss challenges and solutions to military medical issues.

Of great interest to both sides is the deepening of military cooperation to include Special Forces operations, with the joint statement after the two-plus-two dialogue also reflecting it. Among the issues discussed during the bilateral talks was the expanding of the operational reach of the Indian military with support of the US by leveraging agreements for sharing military logistics.

The ministers have welcomed bilateral logistics operations such as replenishments at sea, air-to-air and ground refuelling and expressed their commitment to increasing such cooperation, including through the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement.