It is in US interest to support India's rise: Cong committee

Washington, Jun 25 (PTI) Asserting that it is in the US'
interest to support India's rise through military-to-military
ties, arms sales and exercises, a key Congressional committee
has sought a report from Pentagon by November 1 on a five-year
action plan to strengthen bilateral defence relations.
The powerful Senate Armed Services Committee said it
believes that a deepening global strategic partnership between
the US and India will be critical to the maintenance and
expansion of a rules-based international system that promotes
freedom, democracy, security, prosperity and the rule of law
in the 21st century.
"It is in the national interest of the United States,
through military-to-military relations, arms sales, bilateral
and multilateral joint exercises and other means, to support
India's rise and build a strategic and military culture of
cooperation and interoperability between our two countries, in
particular with regard to the Indo-Pacific region," said the
India section of the committee's latest 343-page report.
The committee noted that combined naval exercises,
conducted between the United States and India, have become a
vital pillar of stability, security and free and open trade,
in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
"Recent US arms sales to India, including C–130J military
transport aircraft, a US amphibious transport dock, UH–3H Sea
King helicopters, counter-battery radar sets, and P–8 maritime
surveillance aircraft, have benefited the United States and
India alike, increasing commonality of military equipment
platforms and contributing to security in the Indo-Pacific
region," the report said.
It also noted that India recently announced its intention
to purchase 10 C–17 Globemaster III aircraft.
As such the Congressional report asked the administration
to submit an unclassified report to it by November 1 this year
which provides a plan to enhance US-India security
cooperation, including a detailed assessment of the current
state of US-India security cooperation.
The Defence Secretary has also been asked to submit to
the Congress a five-year plan for enhancing US-India security
cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and globally, which
among other things should also include recommendations for the
US to further improve and expand this relationship in four
areas.
The areas are combined military exercises; defence trade
and support for India's military modernisation; cooperation in
disaster response and relief, humanitarian assistance,
counter-proliferation, counter-piracy, counter-terrorism,
homeland security and coastal defense and the maintenance of
secure sea lines of communication; and multilateral exercises
and cooperation incorporating other Indo-Pacific allies and
strategic partners.
The US Defence Secretary has also been asked to include
in its report to the Congress a detailed assessment of the
desirability and feasibility of the future sale of F–35 Joint
Strike Fighters to India, and a potential US partnership with
India to co-develop one or more military weapon systems,
including but not limited to the anticipated programme to
replace the US Air Force T–38 trainer jet. PTI LKJ
KAP