Opinion | Never Before Has Defence Been So Important For India-US Ties
NDTV
The US-India defence relationship is rapidly expanding, adapting to evolving regional and global security demands. This includes safeguarding supply chains, advancing critical and emerging technologies, and enhancing cooperation in cyber, space, and new dimensions of battlespace dominance. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to the US from August 23-26 highlighted these shifts, aiming to bridge bilateral gaps in these critical areas. The visit underscored a clear trend: while major defence deals continue to strengthen traditional security ties, both nations are increasingly emphasising emerging strategic elements to integrate the security partnership with a purposive intent towards making the Indo-Pacific region free and open.
Issues central to joint India-US interests in the Indian Ocean and the security of the Indo-Pacific are being prioritised. India's increasing role in shaping regional security by ensuring freedom of navigation, now especially as a member of the Combined Maritime Force (CMF), was acknowledged. With India assuming leadership in the Combined Task Force 150 in 2025, stakes for an expanded regional security role have increased for New Delhi.
As the Indo-Pacific remains central to regional and global security, enhancing partnership in this region is key to shaping a regionally favourable security architecture. Towards this, the visit provided an opportunity for steps in increasing supply chain security as well as enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean. Among the highlights was a new agreement to expand and strengthen operational coordination between India and the US by placing Indian liaison officers at US commands. The agreement is a step up for regional security coordination and domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific for India, complementing an earlier initiative to host US officers at the Information Fusion Centre (IFC-IOR) in India. It also overcomes the capacity limitations of India, indeed any country, to solely monitor the vast expanse of the Indo-Pacific on a real-time basis. Beyond the Indo-Pacific, placing Indian liaison officers at the other 10 Combatant Commands could usher new vistas in information sharing.
