India is a US defence partner on a par with NATO allies: Keith Webster

India's status is consistent with members of NATO, other than the Five Eyes, says Pentagon official

Keith Webster handled US-India defence relations for several years as a senior Pentagon official in the Obama administration. Now, a senior vice-president with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, he talks to Ajai Shukla about the trajectory of the defence relationship.

Why has the US designated India as a “major defence partner” (MDF)?

In the US system, this was a very significant step. In May 2016, during the waning months of former President Barack Obama’s administration, we began debating in the Pentagon the need to cement the solid defence relationship we had achieved. We decided the best way to “immortalise” the