“Regular and frequent engagement between our militaries helps forge a common and cooperative strategic culture. It helps instill trust and resilience in our broader partnership. And it ensures our forces are operationally prepared to deter conflict.
“Over the last several years, our militaries have done more joint exercises than ever before. This year’s Malabar – our oldest joint exercise – concluded last week, and included Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces. Last month, India participated in the Rim of the Pacific exercise for the first time. This week, India joined the United States – and nearly 17 other nations – in Fortune Guard, a maritime exercise focused on interdicting weapons of mass destruction.
First flight of the first Boeing P-8I maritime patrol and antisubmarine aircraft for India. Boeing photo
“After a hiatus of nearly 40 years, our armies began exercising together a decade ago. Today, exercise Yudh Abhyas has expanded dramatically. The last exercise convened the Indian army’s hardened 9th Mountain Brigade, 5th Gurkha Rifles, and the U.S. Army’s 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne, at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. This year’s exercise – next month – will include a special operations component and transport U.S. soldiers based in Alaska to India’s rolling central highlands.
“Going forward, we should continue building up the scale and complexity of all our joint military exercises.
“We are also pursuing other, innovative avenues of military-to-military cooperation. Our navies could pioneer new cooperation in the area of operational energy, finding ways to increase the efficiency, and thereby the capability and safety, of maritime operations. This collaboration would have financial and technological benefits, and it could be expanded across all our military services.”
Hagel praised Indian/U.S. defense industrial cooperation, saying it lays the foundation for greater operational cooperation.
“It is designed to support the development of a strong and self-sufficient Indian defense industrial base – one that develops mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with top American defense companies, and helps create jobs in both our nations. The United States has made no similar effort with any other nation; it is unique to our relationship with India.”
“Because of our progress to date, Indian P-8 maritime reconnaissance aircraft are patrolling the shores of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” Hagel said. “Indian C-130s have flown humanitarian rescue missions from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. And Minister Jaitley greeted the arrival of India’s sixth and newest C-17 at Palam Air Base last week.