Military partnership between India and United States is growing and deepening: Pentagon

By R Anil Kumar 

In the last decade, the India-United States (US) relationship has made major strides and has evolved into a very broad-based cooperation. During this period, defence and security cooperation has been a key enabler in the development of a comprehensive global strategic partnership that encompasses a deepening multi-sectoral engagement. While some areas of divergence have popped up now and then, these have so far been handled with maturity and mutual accommodation by both sides.

A significant fillip was provided by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the US in June 2023, which raised expectations of more dynamism and robustness in the partnership.

The visit had a special focus on defence technology and industrial cooperation, as highlighted in the section on defence in the joint statement, titled ‘Powering a Next Generation Defence Partnership’.

India-US bilateral defence cooperation, viewed as “an anchor of global security” by both sides, has evolved over the years by promulgating institutional mechanisms, agreements, and initiatives. 

Few areas of US-India relations have seen as much recent progress as the defence relationship. Over the years the US has become a significant supplier of defence equipment to India, become India’s largest military exercise partner, taken steps to improve inter-operability and coordination, and signed technical agreements to further expand India’s access to high-end American defence technology.

Beyond bilateral cooperation, the United States and India are key partners in “The Quad,” an emerging strategic partnership between the governments of India, Japan, Australia, and the United States.

Washington, May 31. Over the last decade the United States and India are increasingly doing things in their defence partnership that people wouldn’t have said was possible 20 years ago.

For instance, 20 years ago, there were no US defence sales to India at all, “Now, we’re talking about co-producing and co-developing major systems together.”

Also, India is joining the US in annual air and maritime exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.

We now have working groups on everything ranging from cyberspace and critical technologies to maritime security, and India is leading in those forums together with the US and like-minded partners.

Critical technologies include artificial intelligence, advanced sensor development, unmanned systems, quantum physics and undersea domain

India will be a critical strategic partner with the United States in the coming decades. India’s growing commitment to playing a more engaged international role, including in the Indo-Pacific Quad, demonstrates a new and growing willingness to join the United States to protect and advance a shared vision of a free, open and rules-based global order.

Meanwhile, the military partnership between India and the United States is growing and deepening, the Pentagon said on May 30.

“You’ve seen a deepening of cooperation and ties between our militaries. The secretary has hosted delegations from India here in the Pentagon and, of course, travelled overseas to meet with his counterparts.

So, you’ve certainly seen a growing and deepening partnership and our militaries engaged in exercises,” Pentagon’s Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference.

The United States is committed to a long-term strategic partnership with India. We respect India as a regional and emerging global power as well as a provider of regional security. We see a growing convergence with India on our strategic outlook for the Asia-Pacific region and India’s role in shaping the Asian landscape.

The past decade has been particularly transformative in the bilateral relationship.

“I don’t have that full list of commitments and, you know, announcements that we made during the Secretary’s trip. But one of the things that he announced there was a production facility in India. So, you’re seeing our military partnership grow and deepen, and that’s something that we’re extremely proud of,” Singh said.

Last month, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers that by bolstering the Indian military’s capabilities the two nations can work together to uphold a more stable balance of power across the wider Indo-Pacific region.

He said the militaries of the US and India were accelerating operational activities to boost maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

In 2023, the US and India launched INDUS-X and completed a roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation to enhance bilateral defence industrial cooperation and innovation.

The proposed deal between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for domestic Indian production of the F-414 jet engines exemplifies this approach.