Noting that India is destined to be a close partner of the United States, a top Pentagon official has said New Delhi wants to enhance military to military relationships through close technology cooperation and co-production.
“India is, I think, destined to be a close partner of the United States. We just share so much in the way of values and aspirations, and our people just seem to mix it up so easily and so well.
“That has nothing to do with the defence or military but I think will be reflected there,” Ashton Carter the Deputy Secretary of Defence said here on Monday.
He was speaking on the US Defence Rebalance in Asia at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies here.
“One area of particular importance where I think we would make a lot of progress quickly is in building the Indian military capabilities. They don’t want to do it just by buying things. India wants to do it with close technology cooperation and co-production,” Carter said in response to a question.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Mr. Carter said India is a key part of US rebalance in Asia.
“More broadly, (India is) an emerging power that we believe will help determine the broader security and prosperity of the 21st century with others,” he said.
“Our security interests with India converge on maritime security and broader regional issues, including India’s “Look East Policy.
“We’re also working to deepen our defence cooperation, moving beyond purely defence trade toward technology sharing and co-production,” he said.
