Singapore: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday commended growing ties between America and India, saying that they are based on a common vision and common values and the momentum in the relationship is not only going to continue but will pick up speed. He also said the two countries are cooperating in defence cooperation and in the Indo-Pacific as a testiment to their growing ties.
Austin's remarks came as he responded to a delegate's question at the Shangri La Dialogue about bilateral ties. “The relationship we enjoy right now with India is as good as or better than our relationship that it has ever been,” he told delegates. "We are co-producing armoured vehicles with India."
In his address on the Indo-Pacific region, Austin said: “Together with our friends in the region, we are breaking down national barriers and better integrating our defence industry. The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region, comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. Austin asserted that the US will continue to play a vital role in the Indo-Pacific.
Austin also informed delegates that the US defence industry is being integrated with those of the regional countries, including Japan. “Together we are investing in capabilities that promote lasting security and stability. And together we are ensuring that the Indo Pacific will remain secure," he added.
Deepening India-US cooperation
Officials from the Pentagon earlier told lawmakers that the relationship between India and the United States has been growing and is stronger than it has ever been, even though some expressed doubts due to New Delhi's ties with Russia. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely S Ratner told members of the House Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific that the US has been strengthening its relationship with India across a number of areas.
“We have been strengthening a number of areas across the relationship including in co-production, where we’ve made some major strides on jet engines, some new projects on armoured vehicles to integrate our defence industrial base, which is one important way to make those bonds all the stronger,” Ratner said in response to a question from Ranking Member Adam Smith.
“Our defence trade now is valued at over USD 20 billion and India recently announced their decision to acquire over 30 MQ9Bs and BS. That’s part of a growing defence relationship between our countries that couldn’t be more important,” the defence department official said. The US had approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated cost of USD 3.99 billion, which was announced during PM Narendra Modi's visit to the US last year.
Navy Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, who also testified, said America has many overlapping interests with the largest democracies of the world, even though it doesn’t always have the same interests. “Military to military, we have been executing much more increased operations and exercises together. They are working towards becoming more interoperable. They’ve bought our helicopters, they have C-130s, as we do, and we continue to expand both bilaterally and multilaterally our actions and exercises with them,” he said.
Last month, a former senior White House official said India and the US are working together to bridge the digital divide between the West and the Global South, and that the two nations were helping shape the framework for the "responsible and safe" use of Artificial Intelligence to benefit their societies.
(with inputs from PTI)
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