Jagjeet Singh Grewal, a leading engineering technician in the Royal Navy, embodies the unique living bridge between the UK and India, being a crew member on the Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
The Uk’s Carrier Strike Group 2021 is sailing through the Indian Ocean Region after crossing the Suez Canal, following the commands of Queen Elizabeth and preparing to meet the Indian Navy for a series of routine maritime exercises, a press release from the British High Commission in Delhi indicated.
The CSG is equivalent to 10 ships, two submarines, around 20 aircraft and almost 4,000 personnel. The joint exercises between the CSG and the Indian Navy took place in the Bay of Bengal between July 21 and July 23.
Jagjeet is serving the fifth-generation aircraft carrier in which he works in the Marine Engineering Department. He maintains aviation fuel to the highest standard and fueling pumps on the flight deck to ensure that the F-35B jets, merlin helicopters, and other aircraft operators are to their optimum capacity.
Based out of the United Kingdom, Jagjeet has a long family history in the Indian army. “My grandfather and grandfather-in-law served alongside the British Army in the World War II and received a recognition in Dispatches, Burma Star, Africa Star, War Medal and Defence Medal,” he shared. “My father served in the Indian Air force, and currently, my brother-in-law and uncle-in-law are part of Indian Navy.”
Continuing his family legacy, he added, “I am focused on doing my job to the highest standards; however, it is good to know I am maintaining my family links while working with the Indian military.”
Jagjeet is delighted to be part of the crew, training in the water near to his ancestral home, as the CSG has entered the Indian Ocean, engaging with its allies on its 26,000 nautical miles long maiden deployment. The Royal Navy and Indian Navy benefit from a unique living bridge of people, ideas, institutions, arts and culture, including an Indian diaspora of more than 1.5 million people (as per the 2011 census) in the UK. This diaspora is significantly contributing to the UK’s well-being in business, politics, academia, medicine, and the arts.
