Pentagon says military partnership with India is growing

Washington: The military partnership between India and the United States is growing and deepening, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

“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.

“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.