(MENAFN- IANS) Washington, Nov 15 (IANS) Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi held a series of high-level discussions with top US military officials in a step towards enhancing maritime cooperation between the two nations.

He met Admiral Samuel J Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Stephen T Koehler, Commander of US Pacific Fleet and Lieutenant General James F Glynn, Commander of US Marine Forces Pacific.

"The interactions reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the Indian Navy and US Navy, as well as the growing synergy with US Marine and joint forces -- anchored in mutual trust, shared values, and a common commitment to a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific," the Indian Navy's spokesperson posted on X on Saturday.

Both sides reviewed key pillars of India-US defence cooperation, focusing on strengthening maritime security and cooperation, enhancing interoperability, and expanding avenues for operational engagements across the Indo-Pacific.

The discussions also covered priority areas of mutual maritime interest, including deeper information sharing and maritime domain awareness, building on mechanisms like Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and linkages with the Information Fusion Centre -- Indian Ocean Region.

The two sides also explored ways to safeguard sea lines of communication and critical undersea infrastructure, alongside improving coordinated responses for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, counter-piracy, and non-traditional security challenges.

They also discussed plans to conduct more complex and regular bilateral and multilateral exercises, including MALABAR, PASSEX, and those under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)and MILAN framework -- to refine joint warfighting, logistics, and sustainment.

Both navies explored avenues for collaboration in emerging domains -- unmanned systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), cyber, and space-enabled maritime operations -- to bolster readiness and resilience at sea.

CNS Tripathi is currently in the US on an official visit from November 12-17 aimed at strengthening the robust and enduring maritime partnership between the navies of India and the US, a key pillar of the Defence Partnership between the two nations.

"India and the United States share a long-standing maritime partnership rooted in mutual trust and shared values. The visit by CNS underscores the Indian Navy's commitment to deepening cooperation with the US Navy towards realising the vision of a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific," read a statement issued by the Indian Navy ahead of his visit.

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