Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) attended the 25th International Seapower Symposium (ISS) in the United States from September 19-22, 2023.

ISS is conducted by the US Navy at US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island and provides the opportunity to engage with the FFCs towards the shared vision of enhancing maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The CNS also held bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the ISS with his counterparts from various countries including the USA, Australia, Egypt, Fiji, Israel, Italy Japan, Kenya, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore & UK.

The extensive engagements during the visit are a demonstration of the Indian Navy’s steadfastness towards realising the vision for a Free Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific and International Rules-Based Order.

During the visit extensive deliberations were also held towards exploring greater IN-USN operational engagements at bilateral and multilateral exercises such as the Malabar, RIMPAC, Sea Dragon and Tiger Triumph. Regular Subject Matter Expert exchange also takes place between both the Navies to institutionalise interoperability in various fields.

At the ISS the CNS spoke extensively about the challenges of Human Resource Management, with specific reference to recruitment and retention of trained personnel and India’s initiatives towards addressing these through the Agnipath Scheme, empowering women and driving the Indian Navy into a gender-neutral force.

The visit of the CNS to the US provided a significant opportunity for Apex Level Navy to Navy engagements for deepening bilateral cooperation as well as engaging with diverse partners across the Indo-Pacific.