Speeches and Remarks 2007
July 3, 2007
STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR DAVID C. MULFORD
ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT BY THE U.S.S. NIMITZ
TUESDAY, JULY 3, 2007
I wish to thank the people of Chennai, the Indian Navy, the Government of Tamil Nadu, and the Chennai Port Trust for giving the U.S. Navy vessels USS Nimitz and USS Pinckney and their crews a warm welcome to Chennai. During my July 2 visit I saw first-hand that many people had gone to great lengths to make this port call safe, informative, and enjoyable, and we are grateful for their efforts. Very few of the sailors have ever been to India before, and they were delighted to have this opportunity to meet the people, sample the food, and learn about the culture of south India.
I would also like to commend Admiral Blake and the crew of the Nimitz for their contribution to U.S.-India relations, including hosting numerous Indian guests on board the Nimitz, as well as participating in several community relations events during this visit. Several seamen told me of the overwhelmingly positive responses they have received from the people of this fine city as they disembarked the ship to conduct community service projects around town. It was a pleasure for them to give back to the city that has opened its arms to them. This visit has provided a wonderful opportunity for people-to-people and navy-to-navy contacts.
On this visit, the Nimitz is carrying more than the 5000 sailors on board, the planes and helicopters and unbelievable quantities of food, and water and all the supplies that keep this supercarrier running. Today, the Nimitz brings a new era in U.S.-India military-to-military relations. This ship visit, the first ever port call in India by an American aircraft carrier, is the latest example of the positive development of our defense relationship.
We have already conducted military operations together, such as with tsunami relief, the evacuation last year of Lebanon, and anti-piracy coordination. Our militaries also have participated in greater numbers and more sophisticated exercises, such as in the Malabar series of drills, which have evolved to include other partners, such as Canada and Japan.
This is a new era of defense cooperation. Last year, India purchased the USS Trenton - now renamed the INS Jalashwa. She was commissioned just two weeks ago, becoming India's second largest Naval ship. The work we've done together to prepare the Jalashwa for delivery to India has demonstrated American reliability in major defense transactions, setting what we all hope will be a growing defense relationship. At the moment, we are discussing the possible sale to India of C-130 aircraft, the celebrated workhorse of multi-role lift airplanes with the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft.
India is discovering, as many other countries around the world already know, that buying from today's American military and defense companies is not just an exchange of money for goods, but rather the invitation to a long-term partnership of support for the product throughout its life cycle. Our firms want to be long-term partners with India, and are looking forward to the benefits of joint technology development and co-production with Indian counterparts.
Those who attended Aero India this February saw that the United States had its largest representation there ever, both in terms of planes and number of companies. The most exciting part of that show was watching the impressive F-16 and F-18 demonstration flights, both of which will be major competitors for the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft bid approved last Friday by the Indian Government.
We also work together with India in peacekeeping, where India is a global leader. Our collaboration, which the United States runs out of President Bush's Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative, will help build crucial capacity for addressing leadership needs for peacekeepers around the world.
The presence in Chennai of the Nimitz is indeed confirmation that a new era in our defense relationship has arrived. We have seen a sea change in our relationship. While there will be days, such as we've seen with the weather during this visit, when we will have to work together to deal with the challenges posed to us, I fully believe the future is wide open with possibilities for our two great countries to achieve even more together.