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SecNav travels to Israel, India

Navy Secretary Donald Winter has begun a visit to Israel and will continue on to India and Spain, according to Pentagon sources.

Winter arrived in Israel on Sunday and is expected to visit Haifa Naval Base, Israeli Naval Forces Headquarters, the Ministry of Defense, Plasan Sasa Industries, Israel Aerospace Industries and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

On Wednesday, he’s to travel to India, where he will visit the Western Naval Command, and see the Mazagon shipbuilding facility in Mumbai. In New Delhi, he will visit the Indian Navy’s Maritime Operations Center and the Defence Research and Development Organization.

Winter will be in Spain from March 30 to April 1, where he will visit government and military officials in Madrid, and the Navantia Shipyard facility in El Ferrol.

Among the issues Winter might discuss in Israel is the Littoral Combat Ship . The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command is conducting a study for an Israeli version of the Lockheed Martin LCS under construction for the U.S. Navy, and Israel has been considering a more heavily armed LCS design.

In India, the recent purchase of a former U.S. Navy amphibious ship has turned controversial. A fatal Feb. 1 accident aboard Jalashva, the former amphibious transport dock Trenton, killed six sailors, and an Indian government report released on March 14 severely criticized the 2007 purchase of the ship.