India ‘critical anchor’ in South Asia: US defence chief

WAshington: republic of india is a “ vital ground” in due south Asia and a powerful young Delhi would help maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, said US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogues in Singapore.In a speech to politicians and officials from across the region, Hegseth pointed to closer cooperation between India and the United States on naval matters and co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided munitions.“In South Asia, India is a critical anchor to hold the line. A powerful India acting in its own self interest advances our shared goal of maintaining a balance of power across the region. India is modernizing its military to carry its share of the security burden, particularly in the Indian Ocean,” said Hegseth.“It is building out the heavy industrial and logistics capacity to sustain high end military operations including the ability to repair and maintain our shared platforms and support US navy vessels operating forward in the theatre. We have also committed to pursue co-production with India to advance capabilities like Javelin anti-tank guided munitions,” he added.Hegseth added that the rise of a hegemonic power in the Pacific would unravel the regional balance of power. While mentioning China, he added that no state could impose its hegemony and “hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.” Hegseth also notably pointed to China’s military buildup and the “rightful alarm” it had caused in the Indo-Pacific.Hegseth’s comments came just after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up a four-day visit to India. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also met with Rubio in Washington this week.Referring to Pakistan’s mediation role in the Iran conflict, Hegseth stated that the development had been “unexpected” but stressed that Washington had established a “true friendship” with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. The US War Secretary also repeated the Trump administration’s claim that US President Donald Trump had mediated an end to the India-Pakistan conflict. India has previously rejected such claims.Hegseth was also questioned about India’s Agni-6 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) test and the recent determination by the US intelligence community that Islamabad’s development of ICBMs could potentially pose a threat to the United States.“Both sides are going to see understandable threats coming from the other. Maybe some of which we see differently such as when countries want to develop ICBM threats. But we are not pointing a finger, at least from our view right now, at either country and calling them a threat to us. We’re grateful for, in each of their lanes, the benefits they’ve given to peace around the world,” Hegseth said in response.