Panetta Says U.S.-India Relations Must Deepen, Grow for Peace

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

NEW DELHI, June 6, 2012 – The U.S.-India relationship must deepen and grow to truly provide security for the Asia-Pacific region and the world, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses here today.

Panetta met with Indian leaders to explore ways to expand the defense and security relationship between the two natural allies. His speech at the institute, the oldest Indian defense think tank, was to inform opinion-makers of the background behind the new strategic guidance and why it is important to both countries.

The secretary is building on President Barack Obama’s statement that the relationship between the United States and India “will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”

The United States is at a turning point, Panetta said, and it is now rebalancing its military forces in the critical Asia-Pacific region. Earlier this week in Singapore, the secretary announced that 60 percent of the U.S. naval fleet would be based in the Asia-Pacific. “In particular, we will expand our military partnerships and our presence in the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean region and South Asia,” Panetta said in prepared remarks.

Defense cooperation with India is a linchpin in this strategy, he said. India is one of the largest and most dynamic countries in the region and the world, with one of the most capable militaries. The Indian military has more than 1.3 million members on active service and another 1 million in reserve. In addition, the countries share a set of values.

“We share a commitment to open and free commerce; to open access by all to our shared domains of sea, air, space, and cyberspace; and to resolving disputes without coercion or the use of force, in accordance with international law,” Panetta said.

The two nations also share a commitment to abide by international standards and norms -- “rules of the road” -- that promote international peace and stability, the secretary said.

The two countries also face many of the same threats. Panetta listed the challenges coming from violent extremism and terrorism to piracy on the high seas and from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to regional instability. “Handling these challenges requires a forward-looking vision for our defense partnership, and a plan for advancing it month-by-month and year-by-year,” he said.

The two militaries have built a strong foundation; U.S. and Indian troops from all services routinely exercise together. And Indian forces participate in United Nations missions.

But more should be done. “In particular, I believe our relationship can and should become more strategic, more practical, and more collaborative,” Panetta said.

The U.S.-Indian defense cooperation is strategic in that the two nations consult and share views on all major regional and international security developments. “Our defense policy exchanges are now regular, candid and invaluable,” he said.

The military exercises and exchanges now underway show the relationship is practical and “our defense relationship is growing ever more collaborative as we seek to do more advanced research and development, share new technologies and enter into joint production of defense articles,” the secretary said.

At a strategic level, the United States and India have worked to counter piracy and terrorism. Panetta wants to expand that cooperation. “We can do more to drive the creation of a rules-based order that protects our common interests in new areas like cybersecurity and space,” he said. “We need to develop ‘rules of the road’ in these domains to help confront dangerous activities by states and non-state actors alike.”

Within the region, the U.S. vision is a peaceful Indian Ocean supported by growing Indian military capabilities. “America will do its part through the rotational presence of Marines in Australia, littoral combat ships rotating through Singapore and other U.S. military deployments in the region,” he said.

China is obviously a factor in the region, and Panetta said both India and the United States must do all they can to strengthen relations with China. “We recognize that China has a critical role to play advancing security and prosperity in this region,” he said. “The United States welcomes the rise of a strong, prosperous and a successful China that plays a greater role in global affairs -- and respects and enforces the international norms that have governed this region for six decades.”

Pakistan is another regional player that must be kept in mind. The Indians have fought three major wars with Pakistan since 1947. “India and the United States will need to continue to engage Pakistan, overcoming our respective -- and often deep -- differences with Pakistan to make all of South Asia peaceful and prosperous,” the secretary said.

On a practical aspect, Panetta wants U.S.-Indian military exercises to become more regular and more complex.

India and the United States may not always agree on every aspect of their relationship, Panetta said. But the two nations share so much in common that they are natural partners.

“Our two nations may not agree on the solution to every challenge facing us, and we both face the challenge of political gridlock at home that sometimes prohibits advancing our broader strategic objectives,” he said. “But I am sure that we will continue to draw closer together because we share the same values, the same challenges and threats, and the same vision of a just, stable and peaceful regional order.”

U.S., India Maintain Good Military-to-Military Relations

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

DELHI, India, June 5, 2012 – Military-to-military relations between the United States and India have gotten so good there is literally nothing leaders cannot talk about, including an increased Indian role in Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials said here today.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta will meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Shiv Shankar Menon, India’s national security advisor, today, and Indian Defense Minister A.K. Anthony tomorrow. Panetta will also deliver a speech at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis today.

Officials speaking on background said Panetta would emphasize three themes during his visit. The first -- rebalancing U.S. military power to the Asia-Pacific -- continues a message his trip to Singapore, Vietnam and now India is designed to highlight.

India was the only country mentioned by name in the new strategic guidance first promulgated in January. Panetta’s meetings with Indian leaders and his speech are designed to provide options and encourage discussion, a senior defense official said. The speech specifically will point to how critical India is to promoting peace and stability in the region.

The United States and India share many of the same values and those values are represented by key principles, officials said. These principles are the rule of law, adherence to international norms and standards, freedom of navigation, the right for countries to pursue their economic interests unfettered and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

“It’s only natural as India plays a more active role in the broader Asia-Pacific region, that we would partner with India,” the senior defense official said.

The second theme of the engagement lies in India’s critical location as the crossroads between East and West Asia. “Not only do we value India’s partnership in promoting stability and prosperity in East Asia, but also the peace and stability in Afghanistan and South Asia more generally,” the official said.

In the past decade, India has not played a large role in Afghanistan, but it has steadily increased economic investments in the country. The official said the United States welcomes India playing a more active political and economic role in Afghanistan. “We welcome India’s contributions to training the Afghan national army and Afghan national police,” he said.

The official said there is always the chance that the historic distrust between India and Pakistan could spill over if India helps Afghan national security forces, but “this is not predestined, this does not have to be the case,” he said. “India and Pakistan share an interest -- the same interest we have -- of peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

All nations of the region and international allies of Afghanistan need to work together to “harmonize” approaches to Afghanistan, the senior defense official said.

The third theme Panetta will stress is the bilateral defense relationship between India and the United States. Over the past 10 years the defense relationship between India and the United States has steadily improved. U.S. and Indian service members now regularly exercise together and there is a robust exchange program between the two militaries. And U.S.-India military exercises have increased in scope and complexity over the years.

In 2011, the U.S. military conducted more than 50 significant military activities with India, and Panetta would like to see these exercises become larger and more challenging to both militaries.

India is a valued customer as well. In the past 11 years, India has bought around $8.5 billion worth of defense equipment from the United States. “India has a large military and each of its services is modernizing,” the official said.

The bottom line of Panetta’s visit to India is that it allows him to consult with Indian officials on a full-range of subjects. “There is nothing that we can’t discuss with India,” the official said. “We look forward to harmonizing our approaches with India and other countries in the region.”

Talks Reaffirm Growing U.S.-India Partnership

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Recent bilateral security talks between the United States and India reaffirmed the importance of the partnership between the two nations and the growing U.S. interest in advancing it, as reflected in the new defense strategic guidance, a senior official said today.

Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James N. Miller joined Indian Defense Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma in co-chairing the 12th annual U.S.-India Defense Policy Group dialogue in New Delhi Feb. 21 and 22.

The trip, Miller’s first since assuming his post, demonstrates the United States’ commitment to its relationship with India, Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, said during a media roundtable.

Scher noted that India is the only country the new strategy guidance specifically identifies for increased engagement, reflecting the priority both President Barack Obama and the Defense Department place on the partnership.

The annual Defense Policy Group meetings aim to advance the two countries’ strategic defense relationship, enabling them to set priorities, take stock of progress and work through hurdles that stand in the way, Scher said.

The agenda focused on four basic areas: defense procurement and production, technical cooperation, military-to-military cooperation and technical security, he explained.

Miller and Sharma agreed to continue concentrating on maritime security cooperation, defense trade and developing new, cooperative research and development projects for the upcoming year, Scher said.

They also reiterated the importance of maintaining a “robust dialogue on technical security,” he said, and for the first time this year, exchanged best practices involving strategy developments and capabilities-based planning.

Both leaders expressed an interest in increasing personal interactions at all levels in their defense and military establishments through continued dialogue, exercises, personal exchanges and training associated with defense sales, Scher said.

While in India, Miller visited India’s national defense college, addressing students there and sharing with them the United States’ interest in advancing its partnership with India.

“The key theme was the need to build people-to-people ties,” Scher said. Miller recognizes, he said, that “it is really the next generation of U.S. and Indian defense leaders and officers who will determine whether we will succeed in realizing the full potential of the U.S.-Indian relationship.”

The dialogue reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-India defense relationship, Scher told reporters.

“There is genuine, positive sentiment on both sides and a real desire to grow the relationship in a positive direction,” he said. “A strong bilateral relationship is clearly in the U.S. interest and benefits both countries.”