China’s aggressive push for a new international order will first have to face the formidable India-U.S. Military Alliance
In February 2020, India became the latest country to add 24 MH-60Rs to its fleet. They join fellow navies from the United States, Denmark, Australia and Saudi Arabia. Lockheed
The Political Military Committee Bureau supported the increase in total defense trade with India from near zero in 2008 to over $20 billion in 2020…Detail below.
India, U.S. Begin Meetings in New Delhi
OCT. 26, 2020 | BY JIM GARAMONE, DOD NEWS
The relationship between the world’s two largest democracies is among the most consequential of the 21st century, administration officials said in a phone call before the “two-plus-two” meeting between U.S. and Indian officials in New Delhi.
“Two-plus-two” refers to the U.S. secretary of state and defense secretary meeting with their counterparts in India. This is the third meeting at this level, and it’s the second for Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper.
The U.S. and Indian relationship has warmed considerably and the increased frequency and candor of these meetings is a reflection of this. “The two-plus-two ministerial will serve as a capstone to review our many accomplishments, as well as lay down next steps for the U.S.-India comprehensive, global strategic partnership,” an administration official said.
India and the United States cooperate in economic, diplomatic and information areas, and the military cooperation between the two nations is also increasing.
Given China’s increasingly aggressive behavior from Africa to the Himalayas to the South China Sea to Oceania, it is crucial that like-minded states oppose Chinese Communist Party efforts to reshape the international order in its favor.
China has committed to changing the international order put in place in the wake of World War II that stopped major power confrontation. The international order is based on respect for the sovereignty of all nations, large and small. The existing order has benefited all nations of the Indo-Pacific region including China, which has grown to be the world’s second-largest economy under the protections of the existing system.
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and more are affected by the Chinese push to change the norms in the region. U.S. treaty allies — including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines — are also affected. The Chinese actions have raised alarms across the region, and they are pushing the democracies to work together to oppose the Chinese vision for the Indo-Pacific.
Cooperation between the United States and India goes beyond mere opposition to China. The U.S. and Indian militaries cooperate in humanitarian relief missions. They share intelligence and information on terror groups, and they work together to oppose transnational criminal groups.
India and the U.S. will discuss pandemic response, maritime security, cybersecurity, quality infrastructure, counterterrorism and other areas.
The defense cooperation between the two nations is foundational. “The defense relationship with India right now is currently at its best in recent memory,” said another administration official participating on the call. “The progress we’ve made since India became a major defense partner in 2016, is remarkable.”
Investments in the bilateral defense relationship from both sides in previous years have set the foundation for the accomplishments this year that may be announced in the coming weeks. “We solidified our strategic alignment and confirmed the need to work together and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific for the benefit of all countries in the region,” the official said.
Broadly the U.S. and Indian defense ministers will discuss regional security cooperation. “We’re working to enhance maritime security across the Indian Ocean region by coordinating security cooperation and building partner capacity with regional countries,” the administration official said. “India announced just this week that it was inviting Australia, along with the U.S .and Japan, to the Malabar naval exercise in November.
“This invitation signals not only a strategic convergence between quadrilateral partners, but a recognition that regional security requires strengthening allies and partnerships and working multilateral on issues of mutual concern.”
The U.S., India relationship requires information sharing. The two nations have an agreement that will allow for expanded geospatial information sharing between the respective armed forces. “We’re also seeking to expand secure communication capabilities between our respective militaries, as well as between our foreign defense ministries,” he said.
Military-to-military interactions are key. “We’re working to build greater interoperability by increasing the sophistication of our combined exercises,” the official said. The United States has placed liaison officers with Indian forces, and the Indians have placed officers at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Central Command. “We also hope to confirm two additional Indian liaison officer placements in the near term to expand counterterrorism cooperation,” he said.
The United States is interested in defense trade. Earlier this year, India acquired Apache and Seahawk helicopters, and the U.S. is seeking to advance sales for several other defense platforms to include fighter aircraft and UAVs, the official said.
U.S. recent and significant prior sales to India include: MH-60R Seahawk helicopters ($2.8 billion), Apache helicopters ($796 million), and the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure ($189 million). India was the first non-treaty partner to be offered a Missile Technology Control Regime Category-1 Unmanned Aerial System – the Sea Guardian UAS manufactured by General Atomics. PM continues to support advocacy for the Lockheed Martin F-21 and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15EX Eagle as part of India’s future fighter aircraft acquisitions. A potential selection of any of these platforms would enhance India’s military capabilities, increase U.S.-India military interoperability, and protect shared security interests in the Indo-Pacific regionSec of State
TRANSCRIPT:
FOREIGN MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH: (Via interpreter) Mr. Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, Dr. Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense, my esteemed colleague Dr. S. Jaishankar, distinguished members of the two delegations, a very warm welcome to both of the secretaries and your delegations. Thank you for traveling all the way to New Delhi when traveling is still considered quite risky.
Thank you for your personal commitment to the India-USA partnership. We are meeting today at an extraordinary time. This pandemic is something that we have never experienced in our lifetime. Our economies have suffered losses. People have been affected by the pandemic, and a number of those have succumbed, which is a number that is far from insignificant. We have implemented the whole-of-government approach to take industrial and service outputs back to normalcy. We are providing relief to all those badly impacted by the pandemic. We have to quickly make up for the losses as economic downturn will have both domestic and external consequences.
Excellencies, in the area of defense we are challenged by reckless aggression on our northern borders – (inaudible).
SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO: Thank you very much. It’s an honor to be here with you (inaudible) for the third 2+2 (inaudible) all three. Our friendship and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific was clearly, clearly highly on display when we were in Tokyo this past week and a half for the Quad meeting that Minister Jaishankar and I had with our Australian and Japanese friends earlier this month.
Today is real opportunity for two great democracies like ours to grow closer, as I said on my trip to India last year when I called for a new age of ambition in our relationship. I think we’ve delivered on that over this past year. There is much more work to do for sure.
We have a lot to discuss today, from cooperating on defeating the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, to confronting the Chinese Communist Party’s threats to security and freedom, to promoting peace and stability throughout the region.
Together our two countries are building a better future for our people based on our shared set of values and our cultures, our defense ties, our scientific collaboration, and mutual prosperity. I thank you for your leadership to each of you to build what ought to be a defining partnership of democracies in the 21st century. Thank you.
SECRETARY MARK T. ESPER: Minister Singh, Minister Jaishankar, I am honored to be here with you alongside Secretary Pompeo for our third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. Today we meet in the midst of public health, economic, and security challenges around the globe, which the partnership between our two nations has better prepared us to address and deter.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the first U.S.-India Defense Framework and our third 2+2 Ministerial. We have strengthened our defense and security partnership considerably since then, especially over the past year, during which we advanced our regional security, military-to-military, and information-sharing cooperation. Our focus now must be on institutionalizing and regularizing our cooperation to meet the challenges of the day and uphold the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific well into the future.
Today I look forward to discussing key opportunities to expand our efforts on regional security concerns and to advance our defense priorities, to include increasing information sharing and mutual logistics operations between our militaries.
To my Indian colleagues, thank you again for your gracious hospitality and friendship as we continue to strengthen this most consequential partnership between the world’s two largest democracies. Thank you both.
MINISTER SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR: (Inaudible) Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Esper, dear colleagues, it is a great pleasure to welcome the American delegation to India for the third 2+2 meeting between us. As foreign minister, I attach great importance to this particular format of our interaction for three reasons.
First, we live in a more uncertain world with much greater stresses and sharper fault lines. For most countries, that means giving security a greater salience in their foreign policy. As major powers, this is even more so in our case.
Second, over the last two decades, our bilateral relationship has grown steadily in its substance, assets, and significance. The accompanying comfort levels today enable us to engage much more intensively on matters of national security. This format is clearly tailored for that purpose.
Third, at a time when it is particularly important to uphold a rules-based international order, the ability of India and the United States to work closely in defense and foreign policy has a larger resonance.
Together we can make a real difference when it comes to regional and global challenges, whether it is in respecting territorial integrity, promoting maritime domain awareness, counterterrorism, or creating prosperity. I am therefore looking forward to our discussions today, and I am sure they will be very productive and fruitful. Thank you.