Ashton Carter, named by President Barack Obama to succeed Chuck Hagel as US Defence Secretary, has said that he would prioritise the steady growth of defence relations with India, marked by expansion of the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative with additional co-production and co-development activities.
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carter also made it clear that, if confirmed, he would ensure that Pakistan is held to its pledge to target the likes of lashkar-e-Tayyeba and the Haqqani Network that are operating within its borders and trying to destabilise the region.
Noting that India and the United States have built a strong strategic partnership, Carter termed India “an important net provider of security in the region, and a partner on issues ranging from maritime security to humanitarian assistance to broader regional stability”.
“The past decade has been transformative in the US-India relationship, and we are seeing greater convergence in our interests and concerns than ever before, particularly between our rebalance to Asia and India’s ‘Act East’,” Carter said in his written testimony. A former US Defence Secretary who had launched the DTTI, Carter spoke of a robust series of military exchanges and exercises with India, a strong track record on defence trade, and increasingly close consultations on regional security issues.
“If confirmed, I will continue to find ways to strengthen our military-to-military relationship by expanding the scope and complexity of our exercises, and ensure the consistency of our engagement,” he said, adding that he would also look to expand the maritime security relationship, including in the Asia Pacific region.
On defence ties with Pakistan, he highlighted the importance of counterterrorism cooperation, noting that Pakistan itself faces a real and potent threat from several militant groups within its borders, such as the Pakistani Taliban that carried out the recent Peshawar school massacre.
At the same time, Carter pointedly commented that it was important to continue to engage with Islamabad “in areas where our strategic interests diverge, including the direction of Pakistan’s nuclear programme and its tolerance of terrorist organisations like the Haqqani Network and lashkar-e-Taiba”.
“Additionally, I would seek to facilitate cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and encourage communication between Pakistan and India, as these relationships will continue to be vital to stability in the region,” he said.