WASHINGTON: Top men leading India's fighting arm and its defense policy engaged with their American counterparts here this week as New Delhiand Washington drew closer in a strategic clinch while trying not to alarm China and Pakistan, which are seen by the democratic duo as posing complex challenges in the neighborhood and beyond.
U.S and Indian officials were circumspect in describing low-key Defense Policy Group (DPG) meetings early in the week, an engagement that was closely followed by talks between the Indian Army Chief V K Singh and his U.S counterpart Gen.George Casey.
In a statement that was largely anodyne but contained much between the lines, they spoke of an "extensive discussion on further strengthening bilateral defense ties, under the auspices of the Defence Framework Agreement of 2005," an informal but controversial Bush-era pact that promised unprecedented strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi but had been sidelines in recent times.
The DPG meeting, the statement said, included "a policy-level dialogue on the global strategic and security situation," which also discussed the "multilateral security architecture in Asia and looked forward to continued cooperation in these organizations," – diplomatese for common U.S and Indian concerns about the fluid situation in the Gulf and Arab world, the Af-Pak imbroglio, Pakistan's slide into anarchy, and China's muscle-flexing.
The DPG meeting, the eleventh since U.S and India entered into an informal alliance -- more generally described as a partnership -- at the turn of the century, was co-chaired by India's Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar and the U.S Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Michelle Flournoy. Kumar, accompanied by Ambassador Meera Shankar, also met Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and Deputy Secretary of Defence William Lynn, as the two sides grappled with reaching common ground on a range of concerns in Asia and beyond.
The policy meetings were followed up by day-long talks between Army Chiefs Singh and Casey over lunch and dinner between ceremonial events, deliberations which a Pentagon spokesman described as "thoughtful and productive." Both sides have noted repeatedly they hold more joint military exercises with each other than with any other country, a practice that is becoming even more frequent with the increasing acquisition of American military hardware by India.
In fact, the DPG meeting, which is taking place under the overhang of tremendous U.S pressure on New Delhi to choose American fighter jets to augment its air force, referred to India's purchase of the C-130J heavylift aircraft, a deal that advances interoperability between the two sides. India recently deployed INS Jalashwa, an amphibious ship acquired from the U.S for evacuation of its national from Libya is a demonstration of its naval outreach, a capability which Washington is encouraging as part of its strategy to outsource some of its security concerns in the region stretching from the Gulf of Hormuz to Malacca Straits.
Because an overt expression of such cooperation might alarm China and Pakistan, both Washington and New Delhi are keeping it low-key, even as policy makers on both sides struggle with internal political dynamics. The strategic community in both countries is divided about the emerging clinch, although more and more American pundits are starting to see India as the go-to power in Asia because of the perceived threat from China and the collapse of Pakistan.
"India constitutes the logical hub for a new American alliance with Asian and Pacific nations to balance Beijing's growing military clout and to maintain stability in the region," analyst Steve Huntley, wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday. "Washington can't anticipate every foreign upheaval, but closer ties with India could prepare for what may be gathering storms on the other side of the world." Increasingly, many U.S commentators are expressing similar views.
U.S and Indian officials were circumspect in describing low-key Defense Policy Group (DPG) meetings early in the week, an engagement that was closely followed by talks between the Indian Army Chief V K Singh and his U.S counterpart Gen.George Casey.
In a statement that was largely anodyne but contained much between the lines, they spoke of an "extensive discussion on further strengthening bilateral defense ties, under the auspices of the Defence Framework Agreement of 2005," an informal but controversial Bush-era pact that promised unprecedented strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi but had been sidelines in recent times.
The DPG meeting, the statement said, included "a policy-level dialogue on the global strategic and security situation," which also discussed the "multilateral security architecture in Asia and looked forward to continued cooperation in these organizations," – diplomatese for common U.S and Indian concerns about the fluid situation in the Gulf and Arab world, the Af-Pak imbroglio, Pakistan's slide into anarchy, and China's muscle-flexing.
The DPG meeting, the eleventh since U.S and India entered into an informal alliance -- more generally described as a partnership -- at the turn of the century, was co-chaired by India's Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar and the U.S Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Michelle Flournoy. Kumar, accompanied by Ambassador Meera Shankar, also met Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and Deputy Secretary of Defence William Lynn, as the two sides grappled with reaching common ground on a range of concerns in Asia and beyond.
The policy meetings were followed up by day-long talks between Army Chiefs Singh and Casey over lunch and dinner between ceremonial events, deliberations which a Pentagon spokesman described as "thoughtful and productive." Both sides have noted repeatedly they hold more joint military exercises with each other than with any other country, a practice that is becoming even more frequent with the increasing acquisition of American military hardware by India.
In fact, the DPG meeting, which is taking place under the overhang of tremendous U.S pressure on New Delhi to choose American fighter jets to augment its air force, referred to India's purchase of the C-130J heavylift aircraft, a deal that advances interoperability between the two sides. India recently deployed INS Jalashwa, an amphibious ship acquired from the U.S for evacuation of its national from Libya is a demonstration of its naval outreach, a capability which Washington is encouraging as part of its strategy to outsource some of its security concerns in the region stretching from the Gulf of Hormuz to Malacca Straits.
Because an overt expression of such cooperation might alarm China and Pakistan, both Washington and New Delhi are keeping it low-key, even as policy makers on both sides struggle with internal political dynamics. The strategic community in both countries is divided about the emerging clinch, although more and more American pundits are starting to see India as the go-to power in Asia because of the perceived threat from China and the collapse of Pakistan.
"India constitutes the logical hub for a new American alliance with Asian and Pacific nations to balance Beijing's growing military clout and to maintain stability in the region," analyst Steve Huntley, wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday. "Washington can't anticipate every foreign upheaval, but closer ties with India could prepare for what may be gathering storms on the other side of the world." Increasingly, many U.S commentators are expressing similar views.
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