A United States Coast Guard (USCG) ship, the Bertholf, reached Port Blair on Thursday for a joint train with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), marking a big step in bolstering bilateral cooperation between the 2 forces.
The joint Coast Guard train ‘Sea Defenders-2024’ is scheduled to happen on March 9-10 off the coast of Port Blair.
The Legend-class USCGC Bertholf is provided with superior know-how and weaponry, together with a helicopter touchdown pad, state-of-the-art sensors, and communication tools. The ship serves the operational perform for complicated regulation enforcement, defence, and nationwide safety missions, the officers added.
The USCGC Bertholf’s go to to India, travelling greater than 16,000 nautical miles from Alameda, California, is seen as a mirrored image of a “shared dedication to upholding maritime norms and selling a rules-based order within the Indo-Pacific area”.
The 2-day Sea Defenders-2024 train will concentrate on maritime piracy and uneven threats, together with simulated drone assaults on business service provider site visitors, joint maritime search and rescue operations, main firefighting, marine air pollution response, and counter-drug interdiction workout routines, the officers mentioned in a press release. The occasion can even witness a simulated medical evacuation to boost readiness in emergency conditions.
“This train underscores the significance of worldwide cooperation in addressing maritime challenges. It reaffirms the longstanding partnership between the Indian Coast Guard and the US Coast Guard which is a vital part of the strategic partnership between the 2 nations,” the assertion additional mentioned.
The Coast Guards of India and the US have engaged in a number of joint ventures up to now, notably within the subject of coaching, workout routines, and cooperative measures.