As part of expanding global security cooperation between the world's oldest and largest democracies, India will intensify military cooperation with the US Central Command in Florida and with the US Commands in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa. The significant announcement was made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who held talks with visiting US Secretary of Defence Lloyd James Austin III who described the partnership as a “central pillar” of the American policy for the Indo-Pacific.

“We reviewed the wide gamut of bilateral and multilateral exercises and agreed to pursue enhanced cooperation with the US Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command and Africa Command. Acknowledging that we have in place the foundational agreements, LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA, we discussed steps to be taken to realise their full potential for mutual benefit,” said Singh at a joint meeting with the media at the Vigyan Bhavan. He said the bilateral discussion covered “military-to-military engagement across services, information sharing, cooperation in emerging sectors of defence, and mutual logistics support”.

In a clear hint to Beijing’s growing military activities and muscle-flexing in the South China Sea region, Austin said the India-US defence partnership will grow in the coming years, the authoritative The Hindu newspaper said.  

The meeting between the two defence chiefs Saturday focussed on defence cooperation, expanding military-to-military engagement across services, information sharing, cooperation in emerging sectors of defence, and mutual logistics support.

"We had a comprehensive and fruitful discussion with Secretary Austin and his delegation. We are keen to work together to realise the full potential of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," Singh said after the meeting.

Austin was on a three-day visit to India. Upon arrival on Friday, he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Singh pointed out that the recent Leaders' Summit of India, the US, Japan and Australia under the Quad framework emphasised on the resolve to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

"We discussed the need for enhanced capacity building to address some of the non-traditional challenges such as oil spills and environmental disasters, drug trafficking, illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing and others," Singh said.

India is committed to further consolidate robust defence partnership with the US, he said.

Austin said he had a productive discussion on a number of security issues that are important to both the countries. "And at the top of my agenda, I wanted to convey the Biden-Harris administration's message of our strong commitment to our allies and partners," he said.

India, in particular, is an increasingly important partner amid today's rapidly shifting international dynamics, he said.

"I reaffirmed our commitment to a comprehensive and forward-looking defense partnership with India as a central pillar of our approach to the region. As the world faces a global pandemic and growing challenges to an open and stable international system, the US-India relationship is a stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Austin said.

He added that Prime Minister Modi stated that India stands for "freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and adherence to international law".

"This is a resounding affirmation of our shared vision for regional security in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

He also pointed out that both the countries are continuing to advance new areas of collaboration, including information sharing, logistics cooperation, Artificial Intelligence, and cooperation in new domains such as space and cyber.

"We also discussed engagement with like-minded partners through multilateral groupings such as the Quad and ASEAN. As the Indo-Pacific region faces acute transnational challenges, such as climate change, and challenges to a free and open regional order, cooperation among like-minded countries is imperative to secure our shared vision for the future.

"Despite today's challenging security environment, the partnership between the US and India -- the world's two largest democracies -- remains resilient and strong," he said.

Later in the day during a presser at the US Embassy, Austin said that they never thought India and China were at the threshold of war due to the tensions in Ladakh. "India and US will continue to work with like-minded countries and that is the way to counter any challenge," he said.

Austin also said that he had discussed human rights issues with Indian cabinet ministers. An informed source said the issue also came up during his conversation with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar which also covered a broad range of topics like the situation in Afghanistan and West Asian tensions.

 “I did have a conversation with other members of the cabinet on this issue,”  Austin was quoted saying by the NDTV. He however clarified that he “did not have an opportunity to talk to” Prime Minister Narendra Modi on reports of human rights violations targeting minority communities.

To a question from the news channel whether the issue of erosion of democracy featured in his discussions, Austin said, “You’ve heard President Biden say human rights and rule of law are important to the U.S. We always lead with our values. As a democracy that’s pretty important to us.”