‘Biden to continue defense ties with India'
THE objective of the incoming Biden Administration is to continue elevating the US' defense partnership with India, the Defense Secretary nominee told lawmakers.
‘If confirmed, my overarching objective for our defense relationship with India would be to continue elevating the partnership,' retired General Lloyd Austin told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. President-elect Joe Biden has nominated him as his Defense Secretary.
‘I would further operationalise India's 'Major Defense Partner' status and continue to build upon existing strong defense cooperation to ensure the US and Indian militaries can collaborate to address shared interests,' Austin said in response to a question submitted before his confirmation hearing.
He said he would also seek to deepen and broaden the defense cooperation between India and the US through the Quad security dialogue and other regional multilateral engagements.
Austin said his understanding is that Pakistan has taken constructive steps to meet US requests in support of the Afghanistan peace process.
Pakistan has also taken steps against anti-Indian groups, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, although this progress is incomplete, he said.
‘Many factors in addition to the security assistance suspension may impact Pakistan's cooperation, including Afghanistan negotiations and the dangerous escalation following the Pulwama terrorist attack,' Austin said.
President Donald Trump had suspended all the financial and security aid to Pakistan in 2018 citing lack of cooperation from Islamabad in the fight against terrorism. If confirmed, Austin said he will press Pakistan to prevent its territory from being used as a sanctuary for militants and violent extremist organizations.