Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The United States is building on its strong defence relationship with India, citing New Delhi’s regional standing and power, according to an update on the implementation of the 2026 US National Defence Strategy submitted to a Senate committee. The reference to India came under US efforts to increase burden-sharing with allies and partners, which is a central element of the strategy.
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The update said the two sides had recently signed a 10-year bilateral defence framework and a separate framework to strengthen undersea cooperation. The 2026 National Defence Strategy, released in January, had made no mention of India or the Quad grouping.
According to the update submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee, “Finally, and crucially given its regional standing and power, we are also building on our strong defence relationship with India, with the recent signature of a 10-year bilateral defence framework and a separate framework to strengthen undersea cooperation.” In a post on X on Tuesday, US Undersecretary of Defence Elbridge Colby said the update to the strategy had been submitted to the committee last week.
In October last year, the United States and India signed a 10-year Defence Framework aimed at deepening military cooperation and strengthening regional security across the Indo-Pacific. The defence deal between India and the US was agreed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in February last year.
The National Defence Strategy has been submitted to the US Congress once every four years since January 2018 and includes an unclassified summary of the priority missions of the US military, the assumed strategic environment and enduring threats to US security. Colby said, “The Department of War has made significant progress implementing the 2026 National Defence Strategy’s guidance related to the defence of the US Homeland; deterring China in the Indo-Pacific through strength, not confrontation; increasing burden-sharing with US allies and partners; and supercharging the US defence industrial base.” He added that the Department of Defence was increasing the collective ability to deter or defeat threats to US shared interests across theatres, including in the event of simultaneous conflicts. “Far more work remains to be done, however – and congressional support will be vital to our nation’s success. Above all, the president’s full USD 1.5 trillion FY27 budget request is the essential vehicle for sustaining the momentum that we have built since the NDS’s release,” Colby said. In sum, the update places India among the key US partners as Washington seeks to deepen defence cooperation and expand burden-sharing with allies.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
