Pentagon Affirms Strong U.S.-India Military Relationship

August 23 :
U.S. military-to-military ties with India are robust, according to the Pentagon. Prompting this declaration is a crucial upcoming bilateral defense summit between the two nations. Such comments were delivered at a news briefing on August 22 by Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary of the Pentagon. At the same time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin extended an invitation to Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and Singh arrived in Washington, D.C.

On August 23rd, the two heads of state are scheduled to meet bilaterally. When asked about the upcoming changes in U.S.-India military relations, Singh was vague about the specifics but stressed that the Indo-Pacific region would be a major focus of the talks.

No way am I going to out-smart the Secretary. We can be sure that they will be talking about how we work together to preserve the Indo-Pacific region free and open, as well as our common objectives in this area, she predicted.

When asked about the personal rapport between the two defense chiefs and the present status of US-India military cooperation, Singh stated, "The military-to-military relationships between the United States and India are strong." Joint efforts have grown, and not only within the Department of Defense (DOD), but also inside the executive branch. We are still very much in sync, and the Secretary even mentioned a few of these accomplishments during his trip to India.

Increasing momentum in India-US relations and rising defense cooperation at all levels set the stage for the visit. There would likely be an expansion and strengthening of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership as a result. As part of his tour, Rajnath Singh will meet with representatives from the US defense sector for a high-level roundtable discussion on current and future defense cooperation. The Indian community in the US will also be a part of his engagement.