Admiral John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy visits India

Admiral Richardson with Admiral Lanba, Chairman COSC and Chief of Indian Naval Staff. Image source — DKS/AC and Press Information Bureau.

Admiral John Michael Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy, is on an official tour to India from 12 to 14 May 2019. His visit is intended to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and the USA and also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

Admiral John M Richardson had discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman COSC and Chief of the Naval Staff today. He also interacted with Defence Secretary, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman COSC and the National Security Council Secretariat.

Indian Navy and US Navy interact regularly at bilateral and multilateral forums and participate in maritime exercises such as MALABAR and RIMPAC. Regular Subject Matter Expert exchange also takes place between both the navies to institutionalize interoperability in various fields. After being accorded Major Defence Partner status by the USA in 2016, India — US ties have grown significantly in recent years. The inaugural Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue conducted in September 2018 also facilitated new avenues for defense cooperation between the two countries.

Source

Major issues discussed during the visit included operations and exercises, training interactions, information exchange, capacity building, and capability enhancement.

“I am looking forward to this trip,” said Richardson. “The strategic environment is becoming more complex and the nature of our shared challenges requires frequent discussion of our views of the maritime domain and how best our two navies can operate in line with our respective objectives.”

This is the four-star admiral’s second trip to India as CNO.

Admiral Richardson has served primarily with submarine operations. His service history includes command of the following units:

1. USS Parche (SSN-683) — Sturgeon-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine
2. USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716) and USS Honolulu(SSN-718) — Los-Angeles class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine
3. USS George C. Marshall (SSBN-654) — Benjamin Franklin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine

Admiral Richardson reviewing the ceremonial guard of honour presented by the Indian Navy. Source

He has also served as:

1. Director of Nuclear Propulsion, USN
2. Commander, Naval Submarine Forces
3. Chief of Staff for U.S. Naval Forces Europe
4. Chief of Staff for U.S. Naval Forces Africa
5. Naval Aide to the President of the United States
6. Director of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Joint Forces Command

He assumed his office as Chief of Naval Operations on September 18, 2015 and was nominated by President Barack Obama.