Security News (Nov 22) : India kicks offs sub training for Vietnamese navy Source: The Times of India, TNN, New Delhi | 22nd November 2013 timesofindia.indiatimes/india/India-kicks-offs-sub-training-for-Vietnamese-navy/articleshow/26172370.cms India has kicked off the training of a large number of Vietnamese sailors in the intricate art of submarine operations and underwater warfare, even as the two countries have now resolved to further expand their bilateral military ties. Both wary of Chinas assertive behaviour in the Asia-Pacific region, India and Vietnam have been slowly but steadily ramping up their cooperation in military training and capacity-building as well as in joint oil exploration in the contentious South China Sea that has riled Beijing no end in recent times. During talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Vietnam Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Wednesday, it was decided that India will also transfer four naval offshore patrol vessels to the East Asian country under a $100 million credit line. The ongoing training to Vietnamese sailors in comprehensive underwater combat operations at Indian Navys submarine school INS Satavahana in Visakhapatnam, equipped with advanced training aids and simulators, is a major bilateral initiative in the emerging strategic partnership. Defence minister A K Antony has promised all help to Vietnam for capacity-building of its armed forces. There are already a couple of hundred Vietnamese officers and sailors, along with interpreters, at Vizag. Over 500 Vietnamese sailors will be trained in batches by the Indian Navy, said a senior MoD official. Chinas aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, impinging on the territorial claims of countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, has evoked concern in the region. Vietnam has taken to strengthening its military capabilities, which includes induction of six Kilo-class Russian submarines. Indian Navys long experience in operating Russian Kilo-class submarines, having inducted 10 of them since the mid-1980s, will help Vietnam in learning how to handle their new underwater vessels. In the past, India has supplied spares for the Russian-origin Petya class warships and OSA-II class missile boats of the Vietnamese Navy, apart from continuing to train its military personnel in information technology and English language skills. India will continue to assist Vietnam in modernization and training of its defence and security forces, including through the $100 million line of credit for defence purchases, said PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday. With Indian warships too being confronted by the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea, India has made it clear that all must respect the freedom of navigation in international waters and the right of passage in accordance with accepted principles of international law.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 07:26:25 +0000
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