India-US ties are at an all-time high, according to Pentagon officials

NEW DEHLI: Top Defence Department officials in the United States have described the partnership between the United States and India as better than ever. During a meeting with legislators, this confirmation was given, emphasising that India’s connections to Russia give it a crucial role.
Members of the house subcommittee on Indo-Pacific were told by Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely S. Ratner on Wednesday that New Delhi is a swing vote due to its ties to Russia. “I would describe the US-India relationship as growing and stronger than it has ever been and absolutely essential to our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Ratner said.

Ratner said that initiatives to improve cooperation are being made in a number of fields, including the co-production of defence hardware. He pointed out that both countries’ defence industry bases were being strengthened by notable advancements in projects involving jet engines and armoured cars. Along with stressing the need to stand with the US, Ratner also emphasised India’s strategic relevance by pointing out its ties to a number of nations, including Russia.
Similar to Ratner, Navy Adm. John Aquilino, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command, highlighted the growing military partnership between the US and India. Aquilino emphasised how improved coordination and mutual capabilities are facilitated by cooperative operations and exercises, which demonstrate the two nations’ growing interoperability.
India’s participation in Brics, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was brought up at the meeting. India’s foreign policy goals are reflected in its strategic identity, which Ratner clarified as being in line with a multipolar world order. Even with its ties to the British, India has been advancing towards strategic alignment with the US, especially in the Indo-Pacific area.
“We now trade over $20 billion in defence goods, and India has declared their intention to purchase over 30 MQ9Bs and BS. That’s a component of our nations’ expanding defence partnership, which is really significant,” the defence department official said.
Aquilino highlighted how crucial the entire global strategic alliance between the US and India is to preserving an open and free Indo-Pacific. To strengthen bilateral military collaboration and innovation, the US and India have committed to launching programmes like INDUS-X and the roadmap for defence industrial cooperation. This cooperative strategy is best shown by the planned agreement between G.E. Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics for the local manufacture of F-414 jet engines.
Regarding defence cooperation, both nations want to achieve hitherto unheard-of degrees of interoperability across several disciplines. Aquilino gave two instances of growing air cooperation: the US B-1B Bombers’ involvement in the AERO India air show in India and the bilateral air exercise called “Cope India.” In addition, joint exercises like “Tiger Triumph” in the land domain have improved US-Indian service-to-service relations and marine domain knowledge.
Going forward, the goal is still to enable more frequent engagements in the Indian Ocean Region by strengthening collaboration under the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The two countries’ dedication to strengthening their marine cooperation is further shown by recent agreements for ship maintenance.
The statements made by the leaders highlight the continued efforts to develop and strengthen the strategic alliance between the United States and India, as well as the common goal of an open and free Indo-Pacific area. The relationship between the two nations is expected to deepen as long as they both cooperate in the fields of defence and security, which will support stability and security in the area.
The dynamic alliance between the United States and India is important for the Indo-Pacific region as a whole, as well as for the two nations themselves.