India-US Defence Talks Focus on Indo-Pacific Security, Strategic Partnership

"Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge A. Colby on the sidelines of the India-US Defence Policy Group meeting today. They exchanged views on advancing bilateral defence cooperation, regional security, and further strengthening the strategic partnership," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, Colby held a meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar as both discussed current geopolitical scenario.

"Pleased to meet US Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby this afternoon. Exchanged views on the current geopolitical scenario," EAM Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.

The top Pentagon official is in India to engage with senior officials in New Delhi and help advance the critical India-US relationship.

On Tuesday, Colby said the US views India with deep respect and New Delhi's decisions will profoundly shape the future of the Indo-Pacific.

"The United States views India with deep respect - as a republic of continental scale, as a nation with a proud strategic tradition, and as a country whose decisions will profoundly shape the future of the Indo-Pacific and the international landscape more broadly. Our two countries of course differ in history, geography, and perspective in important ways. Yet we share something fundamental: a conviction that the future of Asia should be determined by sovereign nations able to chart their own course," Colby said during a special session at the Ananta Centre.

He mentioned that the US sees India not merely as a key partner, but as an essential one in ensuring a long-term favorable balance of power in Asia.

"India's importance stems not only from its size and economic potential, but also from its geography and strategic position. Your country sits astride the Indian Ocean, which is the connective tissue of the Indo-Pacific. India possesses a long tradition of strategic autonomy and a growing capacity to shape events well beyond its borders. It is the largest republic in the world; its success thus carries profound symbolic and political weight. And it has formidable, self-reliant, and capable military forces, willing and able to shoulder significant security responsibilities," said Colby.

Citing that India's role is indispensable, the US Under Secretary mentioned that Washington's approach to the strategic partnership with India is interests-based and realistic, shaped by geopolitics and incentives as opposed to gauzy aspirations or detached idealism.

"We clearly recognise that India has its own interests, its own strategic culture, and its own priorities, and that India is not shy about advancing them," said Colby, adding that India and US perspectives seems deeply aligned.

"Minister of External Affairs Dr. Jaishankar has termed India's approach 'Bharat First' and its strategic approach 'the India Way'. Like America First and flexible realism, Bharat First and the India Way emphasise the centrality of a realistic approach to foreign policy, an unabashed willingness to put one's own national priorities first, and a results-oriented mindset about international politics," the US Under Secretary of War for Policy said.

While announcing Elbridge Colby's visit to India, US Department of War stated, "Under Secretary Colby's visit will focus on advancing the goals established by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi in their February 2025 joint statement and on implementing the Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership."

- IANS