IndiaPost.com - Naval wargame not targeted at China

WASHINGTON: The ongoing naval wargame in the Bay of Bengal involving five nations does not "target" China but is designed to shape strategic choices by regional actors like India, a senior Pentagon official has said. "This exercise does not target China.

It is designed to shape strategic choices being made by all regional actors. Malabar is a sign of responsible stakeholders interested in promoting peace and security by a visible presence," said Brigadier General John Toolan, Principal Director for South and South East Asia at the US Department of Defense.

The four-day 'Malabar Exercise' started on September 4 with the participation of warships from five countries -- India, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the US. "US and Indian cooperation does not seek to contain China. India, and the countries engaged in this naval exercise, would not stand for this," Toolan said at a meeting on Capitol Hill organized by the Indian American Security Leadership Council.

The senior official said the "unique" relationship between India and the US would not be defined by a treaty due to overlapping interests and shared value systems, and added that Washington would like to see its evolving ties with New Delhi transform into something it has with key allies like Britain, Australia and Japan. "Our relationship with India is unique, and unlikely to be defined by a treaty alliance. The US is confident that, by virtue of our overlapping interests and shared value systems, the US and Indian strategic partnership will deepen organically, without requiring a treaty," Toolan said.

"The potential for the US and Indian strategic partnership is tremendous. India's influence in the world is on the rise as the reach of its booming economy, military and soft power expands. India's rate of economic growth is frequently cited in the press. Less noticed, but of great import is India's focus on military modernization and increasing ambitions for power projection beyond its immediate neighborhood, the senior official said.

"It has perhaps the largest announced budget for external defense acquisitions in the world. India's soft power is also contributing to its global influence," he said. Toolan said the US would like to see India contribute more to the maintaining of international security and act as a responsible regional stakeholder "commensurate with its growing influence."

Toolan stressed that the US considers India a vital partner in addressing issues of mutual concern and that both countries are already engaged in a number of areas such as counter terrorism, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, protecting free flow of commerce via air, land and sea lanes, contributing to global peacekeeping initiatives and responding to disasters or regional crises and the potential for cooperation in missile defense.

"The US and India have a largely convergent world view. We maintain a regular strategic dialogue in our Defense Policy Group talks, chaired at the Under Secretary level. The US and India increasingly need to share views on not only South and Central Asia, but India's broader neighborhood that spans from Southwest Asia to Southeast and East Asia," the top military official said.