US CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS SAYS THEY ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO ADDRESS THREAT POSED BY SEA TIGERS

By Walter Jayawardhana

The US Chief of Naval operations Admiral Michael G. Mullen said the United States Navy is trying to understand the ways to address the danger posed by the Sea Tigers in the Indian Ocean region.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi the US Chief of Naval operations Admiral Michael G. Mullen called the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , the sea Tigers as a threat in the region.

Commenting about the peril posed by the sea wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he said, "It's a matter of concern. We are working together to understand the threat and the ways to address that threat."

He also said the global war on terror and Al Queda could continue for decades. He said the United States was seeking berthing and access facilities at Indian ports. He was speaking about the thousand ship navy concept of sea faring nations and said he has received a supportive response for the proposal.

Mullen said in his talks with his Indian counterpart Admiral Suresh Mehta , the concept of the navy of thousand ships figured out.

The United States has proposed the concept about three years ago but so far India has not responded to it.

Meanwhile the Indian defence website said, “Close on the heels of a series of exercises conducted jointly by the Indian and US navies, US Navy chief Admiral Michael Mullen arrived here Tuesday on a visit that is indicative of the growing military ties between the two countries.”

Now, US Navy vessels are granted berthing and access facilities as the need arises. The US would like the arrangement to be institutionalized. Mullen, who arrived here Tuesday (17), held discussions Wednesday(18) with Indian Defense Minister A K Antony and Defense Secretary Shekhar Dutt, as also with the three chiefs of the armed forces.

Mullen described his thousand ships navy concept at the press conference."It is up to India to determine how many ships they want to commit," he added. He said the name is only a brand name for the concept and the actual numbers could easily vary from 500 to 10,000.

"This is not about the US. It's about a global partnership that works at the regional and larger level. To that end, there is no formalized (command and control) structure. It's about working together when the need arises," Mullen maintained. The concept had been put into practice , Mullen said, during the Indian Ocean Tsunami and last year's evacuation of foreign nationals from Lebanon in the midst of the month-long armed conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah.

"The ability of large numbers of ships from different nations to quickly come together in times of crisis shows that the concept can work," Mullen contended.
The US Navy head left India on Friday.