Pentagon for deeper security ties with India

WASHINGTON: US plans to deepen security ties with India, according to a strategy report by Pentagon, in which the nation’s top military officer said the global security situation today was the “most unpredictable” he has seen.

Since the last report, National Military Strategy 2011, chairman of joint chiefs of staff, General Martin Dempsey, said in the foreword, “global disorder has significantly increased while some of our comparative military advantage has begun to erode”.

“Russia’s military actions are undermining regional security directly and through proxy forces,” said the report, National Military Strategy, 2015 released Wednesday, listing the first of the challenges.

Iran and North Korea came next for their nuclear ambitions. The reports explicitly called Iran a state sponsor of terrorism that have gravely undermined many regional entities.

About China, the report said that though the US was largely supportive of its rise, its “actions are adding tension to the Asia-Pacific region”.

The report goes on to outline the objectives of US military, and in the second headlined “Strengthen Our Global Network of Allies and Partners”, it said, “We also will deepen our security relationship with India and build upon our partnerships with New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.”

But the report gave no details of what the deepening of security ties means now and going forward. India and the US have a 10-year Defence Framework Agreement, which they renewed recently, which broadly defines defense ties between the two countries. India conducts more joint military exercises with the US than with any other country, and it has scaled up significantly defense purchase from it in recent years.