A day after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke for the first time with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Pentagon said that the Biden administration is going to remain committed to a strong bilateral relationship with India.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, on Thursday, said at a news conference, that the Secretary made it very clear that we’re going to remain committed to a strong US-India bilateral relationship and had a good chat yesterday discussing a lot of issues, including our two nations’ response to the Coronavirus.
During his conversation with Singh on Wednesday, Austin pledged to work collaboratively with India to sustain the progress in the bilateral defence relationship, the Pentagon said earlier.
“During the call, Secretary Austin emphasised the Department’s commitment to the US-India Major Defence Partnership, observing that it is built upon shared values and a common interest in ensuring the Indo-Pacific region remains free and open,” Kirby said. “Secretary Austin noted the great strides made in the US-India defence relationship, and he pledged to work collaboratively with the Defence Minister to sustain progress.”
Retired general Austin became the first African-American to lead the Pentagon when the Senate confirmed him as US Defence Secretary on January 22.
The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years and in June 2016, the U.S. had designated India as Major Defence Partner. The two countries have also signed key defence and security pacts over the past few years, that allows their militaries use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation and provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.
