US, India now more closely aligned in their relationship than ever in the past: Pentagon

The relationship between India and the United States today is more closely aligned than ever in the past, a senior Pentagon official has said.

The relationship between India and the United States today is more closely aligned than ever in the past, a senior Pentagon official has said, noting that they are focused on the long game, which is building the partnership into the future and supporting India's ability to shape a favorable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

“We view the US-India partnership as central to our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. While there may be bumps in the road along the way, we are really focused on the long game which is building our partnership into the future and supporting India's ability to shape a favourable balance of power in the Indo Pacific,” Dr. Ely S. Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs told a group of reporters and think-tank experts during a virtual round table.

He said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Monday.

This comes on the heels of a lengthy telephonic conversation that Austin had with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh over phone recently.

“In the wake of a number of these engagements it has been really clear that the United States and India today are more closely aligned in our relationship than we have ever been before in our history. What we see is converging strategic interests and a shared vision for the region in particular, we've made a number of great strides in the past few years, building on our four foundational agreements,” he asserted.

The United States, Ratner said, is supporting India's military modernisation.

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