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| 'Present US-India relation unthinkable in mid 80s' |
| Lalit K Jha/ PTI / Washington Jul 01, 2009, 09:36 IST |
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The level of military engagement between India and the United States at present was unthinkable in the mid-80s, a top US military official has said.
Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Timothy Keating, who returned from a trip to India a few weeks ago, said the Indian government is more willing to talk about engagement and partnership with the United States than they were in the mid-'80s.
"They are exercising with us on a much more robust basis — we just concluded a trilateral exercise; unthinkable in the '80s — Japan, United States and India in the Sea of Japan," Keating said at a meeting of the Atlantic Council, a US think-tank.
"It was a fairly spirited, high-end technical exercise, he said, adding, "we weren't just doing division tactics; we were exercising weapons and techniques and procedures that are pretty high-end".
Keating said his recent India visit was "much different" than his previous trips.
"We got there on the last day of their elections. It is an amazing process — some of you may have had the good fortune of watching India's national elections. Some call it the greatest show on earth. Folks were flocking to the televisions in manner and in numbers that were somewhat unusual to glued to the big-screen TVs," he said.
Two years ago, India participated in a five-way exercise including US, Japan, Singapore and Australia. This was unthinkable in the mid-'80s and it is now a matter of course, he said.
"So we think that this is a great example of partnership and the benefits we can all derive from increased dialogue, increased cooperation, and increased understanding of what we are all about in the AOR (area of responsibility)," the admiral said.
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