Pentagon Investing In Long Term Ties With India: Lumpkin

Washington: The U.S. is investing in a long term relationship with India as part of its Asia Pacific rebalance strategy, according to a top Pentagon official.

"The Department (of Defence) is investing in a long-term partnership with India that builds on the rapid transformation in the U.S.-India defence relationship over the last decade," Assistant Secretary of Defence Michael Lumpkin told lawmakers.

"We are successfully moving our relationship from a buyer-seller dynamic to a partnership based on shared values and areas of interest, including maritime security, regional institutions, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counter-terrorism," he said during a Congressional hearing.

"We are also deepening our discussions on defence trade and technology and regional security," Lumpkin said in his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on 'Rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific Region: Examining its Implementation'.

He said the Obama administration's focus on the Asia- Pacific is based on a careful assessment that America's prosperity and continued security are increasingly tied to the region.

One third of global trade is with Asia, including $1.448 trillion annually in two-way trade with the U.S. Half the world's shipping by tonnage passes through the waters of the South China Sea. As countries and people throughout the region become more prosperous and more important to the global economy, the U.S. will continue to be an active partner in the region's growth, he said.

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