WASHINGTON: United States has said that broad-based partnerships between America and India are critical and more important as compared to Pakistan, as New Delhi is growing as a potential power with global influence.

"The US-India strategic potential is very, very profound," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and South East Asia James Clad told online journalists and bloggers during a conference call from the Pentagon. While India's sometimes contentious neighbor, Pakistan, continues to search for Osama bin Laden and help wage the global war on terrorism, Clad explained, the US-Indian relationship is more important in the long run. "India simply must, as a long term consideration, matter more for us than Pakistan," Clad has been quoted as saying. "India is seen as a potentially a power with global reach," Clad said. "It's been slow in coming - I think it will be slow in coming in the future - but it is steady.

The trend lines are unmistakable," he said. Clad said India is on a major course to ramp up its military infrastructure with a multi-billion budget at the ready to purchase, among other equipment, 126 multi-role combat aircraft. "It is the largest external-announced defense procurement budget in the world. And people are obviously interested in this," he said, adding 52 US defense corporations, including Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Ratheon, Honeywell and General Electric, have all set up offices in India.