US committed to common vision for defence partnership with India: top Pentagon official

The US is committed to a common vision for major defense partnership with India and will advance this during the '2+2' ministerial talks to be held later this month, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers on Thursday. India and the US will hold the second round of '2+2' dialogue involving their foreign and defense ministers in Washington on December 18.

The inaugural '2+2' Indo-US dialogue was held in New Delhi in September last year. The special format reflects the growing proximity between the two countries in defense, security, and counter-terrorism. "With India, we are committed to a common vision for the US-India Major Defence Partnership, which we will advance at the '2+2' Ministerial on December 18 in Washington," John C Rood, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, said.

"We have agreed to expand military-to-military cooperation and improve inter-operability, including by establishing a new tri-service amphibious exercise, TIGER TRIUMPH," Rood said in her testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing to discuss the Department of Defence's effort to implement the National Defence Strategy in an era of great power competition.