India defence ties a priority for US: Austin
Though both Singh and Austin made no reference to China in their statements to the media, thetwo sides are understood to have discussed the India-China standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), China’s actions across the region, and the situation in Afghanistan.
India and the US on Saturday discussed ways to elevate their security ties against the backdrop of China’s growing assertiveness, with US defence secretary Lloyd Austin saying the partnership with India is a “central pillar” of the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to the Indo-Pacific region.
The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation between the Indian military and the US Indo-Pacific, Central and Africa commands, defence minister Rajnath Singh told a joint media interaction after his meeting with Austin, the first top leader of the Biden administration to visit the country.
Austin, who met PM Narendra Modi and national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval shortly after arriving in New Delhi on Friday, characterised the India-US relationship as a “stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific” and said New Delhi is an “increasingly important partner in rapidly shifting international dynamics”.
Though both Singh and Austin made no reference to China in their statements to the media, thetwo sides are understood to have discussed the India-China standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), China’s actions across the region, and the situation in Afghanistan.
Austin flew into India on the last leg of a three-nation visit that included Japan and South Korea, and China’s coercion and aggression figured in the US defence secretary’s discussions in the earlier stops of his tour. He arrived in India hours after the foreign ministers and NSAs of the US and China clashed publicly at a meeting in Alaska.
Pointing to the shared values and converging strategic interests of the US and India, Austin said: “We discussed opportunities to elevate the US-India major defence partnership, which is a priority of the Biden-Harris administration, and we’ll do that through regional security cooperation and military-to-military interactions and defence trade.”
Describing the talks as “comprehensive and fruitful”, Singh said: “The recent leaders’ summit of India, US, Japan and Australia under the Quad framework emphasised our resolve to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.”
He added: “We reviewed the wide gamut of bilateral and multilateral exercises and agreed to pursue enhanced cooperation with the US Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command and African Command.”
On the US side, defence ties with India are currently the responsibility of the Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command. The decision to enhance cooperation with the Florida-based Central Command and the Germany-based Africa Command is being seen as a significant outcome of Saturday’s meeting. The US Central Command’s area of responsibility includes Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The US designated India a “major defence partner” in 2016, allowing the country to have wider access to a range of military and dual-use technologies. The two sides have also signed what are known as “foundational” defence and security agreements, such as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
Singh said he and Austin had discussed steps to realise the “full potential” of the foundational agreements, and expanding military-to-military engagement across services, information-sharing, cooperation in emerging sectors of defence, and mutual logistics support.
Later in the day, Austin said at a separate press briefing he had raised the human rights of the country’s minorities with members of the Indian cabinet as “partners need to be able to have those kinds of discussions”. He also said he had discussed with Singh the thorny issue of India’s acquisition of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia, but added that US sanctions were not “on the table” as India was yet to acquire the weapon system.
During bilateral talks, the two sides also discussed the need to enhance capacity to address non-traditional challenges such as oil spills, environmental disasters, drug trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, Austin said in the joint statement.
Singh invited the US industry to take advantage of India’s liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) policies in defence. “We both agreed that there are opportunities for collaboration in defence industry,” he said.
Austin said the Biden administration’s message of “our strong commitment to our allies and partners” was at the top of his agenda. “India, in particular, is an increasingly important partner amid today’s rapidly shifting international dynamics. And I reaffirmed our commitment to a comprehensive and forward-looking defence partnership with India as a central pillar of our approach to the region,” he said.
The US-India relationship is “a stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region” against the backdrop of a global pandemic and growing challenges to an open and stable international system, Austin said.
Noting that Modi had stated India stands for freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce and adherence to international law, Austin said, “This is a resounding affirmation of our shared vision for regional security in the Indo-Pacific, and it’s clear that the importance of this partnership and its impact to the international rules-based order will only grow in the years ahead.” Austin said he and Singh also discussed engagement with like-minded partners through multilateral groupings such as Quad and Asean, as this is imperative to address transnational issues such as climate change and challenges to a free and open regional order in the Indo-Pacific.