The U.S. understands India’s security concerns, and will be “concerned about and attuned to the national security concerns that are expressed by close partners…like India,” the White House has said. The White House statement on Monday came soon after India interpreted President Barack Obama’s call for reduction of nuclear stockpiles in South Asia as a possible “lack of understanding of India’s defence posture.”
White House spokesperson John Earnest also underscored a lingering U.S. concern about the region – the possibility of a nuclear flare-up between India and Pakistan, and called upon the countries to deescalate tension as a priority. “We continue to make the case to our partners both in India and Pakistan that deescalating the tension between these two countries is a priority,” Mr. Earnest said. He expressed hopes that the recent improvements in relations between the two countries “greatly enhance prospects for lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”
“…we’d need to see progress is Pakistan and India, that subcontinent, making sure that as they develop military doctrines, that they are not continually moving in the wrong direction,” Mr. Obama had said last week at the Nuclear Security Summit.
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Mr. Earnest said the president’s comments were motivated by concerns regarding the growing nuclear stockpiles, particularly tactical nuclear weapons that are designed for use on the battlefield. Pakistan continues to deploy these weapons despite repeated calls by the U.S. to desist from doing so and considers these as a major strategic move against India. At the Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did raise the possibility of nuclear weapons reaching the hands of non-state actors who might collude with state actors, but did not name Pakistan.
“….these systems are a source of concern because they’re susceptible to theft due to their size and mode of employment. Essentially, by having these smaller weapons, the threshold for their use is lowered, and the risk that a conventional conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate to include the use of nuclear weapons. So this is why the administration has regularly expressed concern about any sort of tactical nuclear weapon,” Mr Earnest said. “And we’re encouraging all parties in the region to act with maximum restraint and to work collaboratively toward reducing tensions in the region.”
When it was pointed out that India’s reference to its “defence posture” could be an allusion to China and asked how the U.S understood it, Mr Earnest said: “The U.S is committed to developing the U.S.-India relationship into one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. And that includes pursuing the strategic security dialogue that provides a dedicated venue to exchange ideas on India’s intentions and defence needs, and to discuss issues that they may have related to strategic stability.”
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