Panetta meets PM, US seeks larger role for India in Af-Pak

With Asia-Pacific region gaining top importance in the US strategic matrix, the US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta began his India visit on Tuesday with a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and seeking New Delhi to play a greater role in the volatile Af-Pak region.

The gradually ascending assertiveness of China in the South China Sea is also going to be one of the focus areas of Panetta’s maiden visit to India since taking over as the Defense Secretary. Prior to Panetta’s visit the US has announced to base 60 percent of its military assets in the Asia-Pacific region much to the chagrin of China.

The US Defense Secretary, who is on a nine-day tour of Asian countries, landed here around 1.30 pm and headed to meet the Prime Minister at 7 Race Course Road. In the one hour meeting, Panetta is said to have touched on the two issues along with bolstering strategic and defence cooperation among the two countries.

Panetta will be meeting Defence Minister AK Antony, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon along with a delegation to discuss various regional and global security issues. India is pivotal to Pentagon's new defence strategy that puts greater focus on the Asia-Pacific. In the strategy document, India was singled out owing to its geo-strategic location that gives it a vantage status both in East and West Asia.

With the US set to pull out its troops from strife-torn Afghanistan by 2014 end, it has been urging India to play a greater role in stabilizing the country. So far India’s involvement in Afghanistan has been limited to economic and soft skills development. The US is keen on New Delhi’s help in training Afghanistan police and Army.

With the Defence Minister Chinese assertiveness will be an important talking point for Panetta. At recently concluded Shangri La Dialogue, Antony termed China’s huge defence spending as “a matter of concern”. For the US, emergence of China as a major regional power has been a matter of “top priority” pegging it with no choice but to cement its strategic ties with India as its relation with Pakistan continues to churn. During Panetta’s visit both the countries will be exchanging their assessment of China’s rise.

Besides this, Panetta is likely to push for discussions on the three basic defence agreements namely—the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) – in limbo for years now. Both the sides have already signed the End User Agreement, under which US may carry out verification of its weapon systems. 

The LSA would require both countries to provide their bases; fuel and other kind of logistics support to each others' fighter jets and naval warships. The agreement has been in limbo for years now. The US has agreements similar to the LSA in place with some 65 countries. With the Indian and US militaries increasing their engagement in war games on land, in the air and at sea, CISMOA has become a necessity to ensure there are no communication glitches.

Defence deals will also be on Panetta’s mind as in the defence trade between India and US is on the rise even as the US companies lost out the multi-billion dollar fighter jet deal. The two countries have signed over defence deals valuing more than $ 8.5 billion in the last 11 years. Deals worth many more billions are in the offing. The major deals include acquiring six more C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft, four more P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, Jaguar engine upgrades, M-777 ultra-light howitzers and AH-64D attack helicopters.