India-US relationship moving in right direction: Pentagon

The relationship between India and the United States is moving in the right direction, the Pentagon has said, noting that the two countries are particularly focused on the interoperability between their militaries.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) website, defence relationship has emerged as a major pillar of India-US strategic partnership. The two countries now conduct more bilateral exercises with each other than they do with any other country. Aggregate worth of defence acquisition from US Defence has crossed over USD 13 billion.

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“It’s a relationship that we look forward to continuing to improve, and particularly focused on the interoperability between our two militaries,” Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brig Gen Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here on Thursday.

“So, I think it’s moving in the right direction,” he said in response to a question.

According to the MEA website, during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to America in June 2016, the US recognised India as a “Major Defence Partner”, which commits the country to facilitate technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners, and industry collaboration for defence co-production and co-development.