India, US to hold large military exercises in 2019
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New Delhi: The US and Indian militaries will carry out large-scale joint exercises off India next year, top officials said.
The drills would be a first of sorts -- the two countries' forces have not previously trained simultaneously in the air, on the land and at sea.
Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement at the end of a summit with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.
"We have decided to carry out for the first time a tri-services joint exercise with the United States off the eastern coast of India in 2019," Sitharaman said.
The two countries also signed a "Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement", known as COMCASA, that will enable them to exchange sensitive military information quickly and securely.
Mattis and Sitharaman signed the COMCASA agreement at a brief ceremony earlier Friday.
APP/AFP
