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US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, on Monday welcomed the Indian Navy's participation in the US-led maritime exercise 'RIMPAC 2026' presently underway in Hawaii.
In a post on X, he underlined how it further reflects the shared commitment to fostering deeper defence ties between New Delhi and Washington. Gor said, "The world's largest international maritime exercise, #RIMPAC2026, is underway in Hawaii! We warmly welcome the Indian Navy's P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft to this U.S.-led exercise that highlights our shared commitment to deeper U.S.-India defence cooperation." https://x.com/USAmbIndia/status/2076695359699788082?s=20 The Indian Navy's P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, to participate in the 30th edition of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft has assumed a key anti-submarine warfare leadership role at the Rim of the Pacific Exercise - RIMPAC 2026 as the sea phase of the exercise begins. Earlier in a statement, the Indian Navy said that its P-8I LRMR aircraft and contingent of participating personnel continued active engagement with partner navies through mission planning, technical preparations, operational briefings and professional exchanges. "This is the first time that Indian Navy is discharging the role of Deputy Commander Task Force for Theatre-level Anti Submarine Warfare during the exercise," the statement said. The deployment reaffirms Indian Navy's commitment to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific while enhancing interoperability, maritime domain awareness and operational cooperation with partner navies, the Indian Navy underlined in a previous statement. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971. According to an official US Navy website, thirty nations, over 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft and 30,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands. (ANI)
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