Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, embarked on an official visit to the United States, where he engaged in discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and fostering global peace and security efforts.
The Army Chief commenced his visit by reviewing the US Army Guard of Honour. He then participated in a solemn ceremony, paying respects by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery.
“General Manoj Pande, #COAS, during his ongoing official visit, reviewed the US Army Honour Guard on arrival at Fort Myers and thereafter in a solemn ceremony, paid respect by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery @ArlingtonNatl” the Indian Army stated in a post on X.
General Manoj Pande #COAS, during his ongoing official visit, reviewed the US Army Honour Guard on arrival at Fort Myers and thereafter in a solemn ceremony, paid respect by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery @ArlingtonNatl.… pic.twitter.com/6t8DwWxnCn
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) February 15, 2024
Further, General Pande engaged in high-level professional discussions with General Randy George, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
“#COAS also engaged in high-level professional discussions with the Chief of Staff of the United States Army @ArmyChiefStaff , General Randy George & other senior military leaders. The discussions were aimed at aspects of bilateral importance and further enhancing mutual commitment towards global peace & security,” the Indian Army added.
During his visit, the Army Chief also visited the Army Geospatial Centre at Fort Belvoir and interacted with the Vice President of the National Defense University at Fort McNair.
General Pande held discussions with the Charge d’Affaires of the Indian Embassy in the United States, where they deliberated on important ongoing and prospective initiatives.
General Manoj Pande will also engage with units at the forefront of military innovation and strategy, including the Stryker Unit, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, the 1st Special Forces Group at Seattle and the Defence Innovation Unit in San Francisco. A visit to the California National Guard is also planned, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the visit aimed at exploring avenues for more significant training, co-development and co-production engagements.
General Randy George, US CSA, had recently visited India for the Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs Conference (IPACC) that was jointly hosted by the Indian Army and the US Army. The conference was attended by 18 Chiefs of Armies and 12 countries represented by Heads of Delegations.
During IPACC, General Randy George and General Manoj Pande engaged in constructive dialogue, addressing a wide range of issues related to military cooperation, synergising approaches to HADR, increasing military exchange endeavours and other issues of mutual interest.
Their interactions, including a joint press conference, underscore the deepening cooperation and collaborative spirit between the military leadership of the two nations, setting a positive backdrop for General Pande’s current visit to the United States.
This visit is another milestone in the Indo-US defence relationship, reflecting a mutual desire to enhance military collaboration, exchange strategic perspectives on global threat perceptions, and work together toward future force development and modernisation. The engagements between General Manoj Pande and senior leadership of the United States Army are poised to yield substantive outcomes, fostering an environment conducive to shared security interests and defence cooperation.
(with inputs from ANI)
