A United States navy chief Thursday described as "great and very successful" the cooperation in relief operations among the US forces and the militaries of the tsunami-hit nations.

"The performance of all militaries in the region was excellent and exceptional," visiting US Navy Pacific Commander Admiral Thomas Fargo told a press conference. He arrived in Malaysia Wednesday as part of a seven-day visit to the region.

"Certainly, it's a response not only from the US military but also the Malaysian military, who were at the scene very early and effectively, the Australians, the same (relief cooperation) in Sri Lanka and India."

When such a disaster occurred, the military had a unique capability to response with a great deal of speed and capacity for immediate relief missions, Fargo said.

Fargo said the strong partnership and cooperation among the military forces and even with civilian organizations in the region had enabled them to response effectively to the tragedy.

"This relationship (between the militaries) has been tested and the result of that test has been a very successful cooperation and, certainly, precisely that's what I expect for the future; that we'll get better in this aspect (of cooperation and relations)," he said.

To a question, Fargo said no deadline had been set for the US military to leave Aceh, the worst tsunami-hit region.

The observation was that the military relief operations had already passed the immediate relief stage and were rapidly moving towards rehabilitation and reconstruction, he said.

"Although much work remains to be done in clearing the debris and preventing disease, this military support will, at some point, no longer be needed," he said.

"We will start, right now, transferring functions to the appropriate host nation and international relief organizations," he added.

Fargo will fly to Singapore later Thursday and return to his headquarters in Hawaii on Saturday.

The US government has sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and a large contingent of C-130 transport aircraft to provide immediate relief in Aceh.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2005)