"Thank you, Dr. . Gupta, for inviting me to the Institute for Defense Studies and
Analyses, and for your leadership of this distinguished organization.
It’s a special honor to have this opportunity on my first visit to India
as Secretary of Defense.
This trip has taken me from Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii,
to the ShangriLa Dialogue in Singapore, to Cam Ranh Bay and Hanoi in
Vietnam. It’s appropriate that as I have defined our new defense
strategy for the 21St Century, I am here with a key partner in this
important region.
Over the past two days, I held excellent meetings with Prime Minister
Singh, Defense Minister Antony, National Security Advisor Menon, and I
Want to thank them for welcoming me back to this great country.
I also want to thank Ambassador Chandra for convening and moderating
today’s discussion, and for the contributions he has made to advancing
U.S.-India relations during his career in public service.
Ambassador Chandra’s first year in Washington as India’s Ambassador
to the United States overlapped with the end of my tenure as President
Clinton’s Chief of Staff in the 1990s. It was a time when the legacy of
Cold War suspicion still loomed large. Though we shared many values and
common interests, our bilateral relationship suffered from such
suspicions.
My former boss, President Bill Clinton, got it right at the time,
twelve years ago here in New Delhi when he said that “India and America
are natural allies, two nations conceived in liberty, each finding
strength in its diversity, each seeing in the other a reñection of its
own aspiration for a more humane and just World.”
Thanks to the efforts of past presidents, Republican and Democrat,
our two nations have finally and irreversibly started a new chapter of
our history.
So it was that when I returned to government in 2009 to serve as
Director of the CIA, I found a transformed U.S.-India relationship. We
had acted together to get past our differences and reestablish better
cooperation. It required that we get beyond our outdated notions about
one another.
And today, thanks to President Obama and Prime Minister Singh - along
with Indian leaders from across this country’s political spectrum - our
two nations now engage actively and effectively as partners on a host
of bilateral, regional, and global issues.
President Obama has said that the United States and India will be one
of the defining partnerships of the 21St century. I believe that to be
true. Today, We have growing economic, social and diplomatic ties that
benefit both of our nations. But for this relationship to truly provide
security for this region and for the world, we will need to deepen our
defense and security cooperation. This is why I have come to India.
America is at a turning point. After a decade of war, we are
developing a new defense strategy - a central feature of which is a
“rebalancing” toward the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, We will
expand our military partnerships and our presence in the arc extending
from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean region and
South Asia.
Defense cooperation with India is a linchpin in this strategy. India
is one of the largest and most dynamic countries in the region and the
world, with one of the most capable militaries. India also shares with
the United States a strong commitment to a set of principles that help
maintain international security and prosperity.
We share a commitment to open and free commerce; to open access by
all to our shared domains of sea, air, space, and cyberspace; and to
resolving disputes Without coercion or the use of force, in accordance
with international law. We share a commitment to abide by international
standards and norms - “rules of the road,” if you Will, which promote
international peace and stability.
One of the ways We will advance these principles is to help develop
the capabilities of countries who share these values. India is one of
those countries.
Our two nations face many of the same security challenges - from
violent extremism and terrorism to piracy on the high seas and from the
proliferation of Weapons of mass destruction to regional instability.
Handling these challenges requires a forward-looking vision for our
defense partnership, and a plan for advancing it month-bymonth and
year-byyear.
We have built a strong foundation, and we will enhance this
partnership over time in the spirit of equality, common interest, and
mutual respect.
In particular, I believe our relationship can and should become more strategic, more practical, and more collaborative.
Our defense cooperation is strategic in that we consult and share
Views on all major regional and international security developments. Our
defense policy exchanges are now regular, candid, and invaluable.
Our partnership is practical because we take concrete steps through
military exercises and exchanges to improve our ability to operate
together and with other nations to meet a range of challenges.
And our defense relationship is growing ever more collaborative as we
seek to do more advanced research and development, share new
technologies, and enter into joint production of defense articles.
I Want to share my views on the progress We have made in each of
these areas and outline additional steps I think we should take in the
coming years.
We have built a strong strategic relationship. In my own experience,
including during my visits here as Director of the CIA, my Indian
counterparts always offer clear strategic analysis and recommendations.
We are transparent and honest in our discussions, something that has
come to define the strength of our relationship.
During my two days here, we discussed the new defense strategy that
is guiding the United States military’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific
region. We discussed the value of the ASEAN “regional architecture” in
promoting international norms and in guaranteeing freedom of navigation.
We discussed Afghanistan, where we have embarked on a transition to
Afghan responsibility for security, governance, and economic affairs.
India has supported this process through its own significant investments
in Afghan reconstruction and has signed a 1ongterm partnership
agreement with Afghanistan.
We are making significant progress with transition. The United States
now has an enduring partnership agreement with Afghanistan. I urged
India’s leaders to continue with additional support to Afghanistan
through trade and investment, reconstruction, and help for Afghanistan’s
security forces.
We also discussed lndia’s immediate neighborhood. In particular, I
welcomed the initial steps India and Pakistan have taken to normalize
trade relations, a process that We believe is key to resolving their
differences and to helping Pakistan turn around its economy and counter
extremism within its borders. Pakistan is a complicated relationship for
both of our countries but one that we must Work to improve.
Finally, we exchanged views about other key issues like piracy and
terrorism, tensions in the South China Sea, our concerns about lran and
North Korea’s destabilizing activities, and new challenges like cyber
intrusions and cyber warfare.
At a practical level, our defense partnership is coming of age.
Expanded military exercises, defense sales, and intelligence sharing are
key examples of the relationship’s maturation. Last year alone We held
more than 50 cooperative defense events.
Some of the most significant include our military exercises, which
enhance our ability to prepare for real-World challenges. The annual
“MALABAR” naval exercise has grown from a “passing exercise” for our
ships into a full-scale engagement across all functional areas of naval
Warfare. In March, U.S. Army soldiers joined their counterparts in India
to rehearse scenarios involving United Nations Peacekeeping and
Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief in a post-conflict setting. U.S.
soldiers even had the chance to participate in a Holi celebration,
which I gather is a very colorful experience.
One month later, the SHATRUJEET exercise took place at Camp Pendleton
in California, with amphibious operations and other exercises between
U.S. Marines and Indian soldiers.
These engagements and exercises provide opportunities for our
rnilitaries to learn from each other. This will sharpen our skills the
next time we are called upon to interdict a WMD shipment, break up a
terrorist plot, or respond to a future tsunami.
We have also increased our defense sales relationship - from
virtually nothing early in the last decade to sales worth over $8
billion today. Our sales are growing rapidly. For example, India and the
US have agreed to sales of maritime surveillance and transport
aircraft. India will soon have the second largest fleet of inthe World,
expanding the reach and strength of India’s forces and their ability to
rapidly deploy.
Your C-1301 transport aircraft and P8-I maritime surveillance
aircraft purchases are also historic. In fact, India and the United
States will be the only countries operating the P8-I aircraft.
In providing such capabilities to the Indian armed forces, we also
enabled new training and exchange opportunities between our militaries.
For example, our sales of transport aircraft included U.S. Air Force
training of Indian pilots, loadmasters and maintenance staff.
Finally, in terms of building collaboration, we have some early
successes and are poised to embark on technology sharing, co-production
and other initiatives that will be a great value to each of our nations.
Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky and India’s Tata Group are already jointly
manufacturing spare parts for transport aircraft in Hyderabad. This proj
ect benefits each of our nations by creating jobs in India and America
and strengthening our defense industries.
Our shared goal should beto solidify progress and deepen defense
engagement and cooperation in all of these areas. So now let me turn to
the ñlture.
At a strategic level, we have worked together to counter piracy and
terrorism, and now We should join forces to tackle new and ever more
complex threats. We can do more to drive the creation of a rules-based
order that protects our common interests in new areas like cyber
security and space. We need to develop “rules of the road” in these
domains to help confront dangerous activities by states and non-state
actors alike.
In terms of regional security, our vision is a peaceful Indian Ocean
region supported by growing Indian capabilities. America will do its
part through the rotational presence of Marines in Australia, Littoral
Combat Ships rotating through Singapore, and other U.S. military
deployments in the region.
The United States supports Southeast Asian multilateral forums such
as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus, or “ADMM Plus.” These
mechanisms will prevent and manage regional tensions. As I have told my
Indian colleagues over the past two days, lndia’s voice and involvement
in these international forums will be critical.
As the United States and India deepen our defense partnership with
each other, both of us will also seek to strengthen our relations with
China. We recognize that China has a critical role to play advancing
security and prosperity in this region. The United States welcomes the
rise of a strong, prosperous and a successful China that plays a greater
role in global affairs - and respects and enforces the international
norms that have governed this region for six decades.
And again with regard to Pakistan, India and the United States will
need to continue to engage Pakistan, overcoming our respective - and
often deep - differences with Pakistan to make all of South Asia
peaceful and prosperous. _
To improve our practical cooperation, l believe US-India military
exercises which are already strong must continue to be more regular and
complex. And We must move beyond a focus on individual arms sales to
regular cooperation that increases the quantity and quality of our
defense trade.
I want to stress that the United States is firmly committed to
providing the best defense technology possible to India. We are both
leaders in technology development and we can do incredible work
together. Indeed, I think close partnership with America will be key to
meeting India’s own stated aims of a modern and effective defense force.
The Obama administration is hard at work on Export Control reform in
cooperation with Congress in order to improve our ability to deliver the
best technologies even more quickly. Meanwhile, we look to India to
modernize its own regulations in areas like defense procurement and
nuclear liability legislation.
But to realize the full potential of defense trade relations, we need
to cut through the bureaucratic red tape on both sides. For that
reason, I have asked my Deputy Secretary Ash Carter to lead an effort at
the Pentagon to engage with Indian leaders on a new initiative to
streamline our bureaucratic processes and make our defense trade more
simple, responsive, and effective.
Believe me, I know this will be hard. But that’s the nature of the
democratic systems that we share. Your leaders understand the challenges
I face and we understand the obstacles you face. But we both need to
persevere to support our defense needs and our strategic interests. Over
the long term, I am certain that We will transition our defense trade
beyond the “buyer-seller” relationship to substantial co-production and,
eventually, high-technology joint research and development.
During my visit to Asia this week, I have sought to bring closure to
some of the past chapters of US involvement in this region. The
government of Vietnam opened three new areas to search for MIAS for the
Vietnam War.
And here in India, I am pleased to announce that the Indian
government will allow a team to return to India to continue the Search
for US service members lost here during World War Il.
This is a humanitarian gesture by a government, with whom we share so
many values. The ability to return heroes to their loved ones is
something that America deeply, deeply appreciates.
America’s involvement in Asia has an important past- but a more
important future. India is at the crossroads of Asia, at the crossroads
ofthe new global economy, and at the crossroads of regional security. We
will stand with India at those crossroads.
I began my trip across the Asia-Pacific eight days ago. Along the
way, I have laid out how the United States military plans to rebalance
towards this region. As I come to the end of my trip, I’rn struck by the
opportunities for closer cooperation, the strong support throughout
this region for the rebalance, and the hope that this cooperation can
help forge a brighter future for the region and the world.
The United States and India have built a strong foundation for
defense cooperation in this new century. My country is committed to an
even greater role in the Asia Pacific, extending all the way to the
India Ocean, and our attention and resources will advance partnerships
throughout the region, including with India.
Our two nations may not agree on the solution to every challenge
facing us, and we both face the challenge of political gridlock at home
that sometimes prohibits advancing our broader strategic objectives. But
I am sure that we Will continue to draw closer together because We
share the same values, the same challenges and threats, and the same
vision of a just, stable, and peaceful regional order.
Our people, our businesses, our militaries and our governments will
all be partners in this effort to serve the dream that guides both of
our great democracies the dream of building a better, more prosperous
future for our children. Together as partners, we will help one another
realize that dream in the 21St century."
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