Mumbai: US congressional delegation visits western naval command headquarters

A twomember United States Congressional delegation visited the Mumbaibased Western Naval Command headquarters the Navy has said reported news agency PTIThe delegation included representatives Rohit Khanna and Deborah Ross accompanied by Vikram Krishnamoorthy Under Secretary Ministry of External AffairsThe visiting members interacted with Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla Chief of Staff Western Naval Command WNC and other Flag and senior officers of the command on FridayDuring their visit the delegation was given a presentation on the roles responsibilities and activities of WNC and a tour of the indigenous destroyer INS Kochi They also visited Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders where they were apprised of the indigenous shipbuilding capabilities of MDL reported PTIIndia and US are party to the annually conducted Maritime Security Dialogue and IndiaUS Naval cooperation has grown substantially over the last two decades the Navy saidThe relationship between the two navies is spread over a wide canvas which includes the annual bilateral exercise Malabar multilateral exercise RIMPAC highlevel delegation visits Subject Matter Expert Exchange SMEE and goodwill visits by naval ships it saidBoth the navies are committed to ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region and therefore cooperation in the maritime domain is the most enduring and key facet of engagement between the two countries the release said reported PTIThe current visit by the US Congressional delegation contributes to improving understanding and strengthening the relationship between the two countries it addedMeanwhile President Droupadi Murmu will launch frigate Vindhyagiri in Kolkata on August 17 the Indian Navy said on SundayNamed after the mountain range in Karnataka Vindhyagiri is the sixth ship of the Project 17A programmeIt will be launched by President Murmu at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited GRSE Kolkata on August 17 the Navy saidVindhyagiri a technologically advanced frigate pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri it saidThe old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from July 1981 to Jun 2012 had witnessed various challenging operations and multinational exercisesThe newly christened Vindhyagiri stands as a symbol of Indias determination to embrace its rich naval heritage while propelling itself towards a future of indigenous defence capabilities the Navy said in a statementUnder the Project 17A programme a total of four ships by Mazagon Dock Ltd MDL and three ships by GRSE are under constructionThe projects first five ships have been launched by the MDL and GRSE between 2019 and 2022Project 17A ships have been designed inhouse by the Indian Navys Warship Design Bureau the pioneer organisation for all warship design activities the Navy saidA substantial 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms including Micro Small and Medium Enterprises MSMEs it saidThe launch of Vindhyagiri is an apt testament to the incredible progress our nation has made in building a selfreliant naval force the Navy addedWith inputs from PTI