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.

Breaking : Vice Admiral D K Joshi designated as next Indian Navy Chief

Vice Admiral D K Joshi was designated as Indian Navy Chief. He will take over from incumbent Admiral Nirmal Verma on August 31.

Vice Admiral Joshi is presently heading Mumbai-based Western Naval Command. He has also headed Andaman and Nicobar tri-service command.

Update-

Statement issued by Ministry of Defence

The Government has appointed Vice Admiral DK Joshi, presently Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Western Naval Command, as the next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from afternoon of August 31, 2012. The present Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral NK Verma retires from service on Aug 31, 2012.

Born on July 04, 1954 Vice Admiral Joshi was commissioned on April 01, 1974 in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy.

During his long and distinguished Service spanning nearly 38 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. Vice Admiral Joshi's Sea Command includes Guided Missile Corvette Kuthar, Guided Missile destroyer Ranvir and the Aircraft Carrier Viraat. Before taking over as FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, he has served as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Commander- in-Chief of A&N Command (CINCAN) and the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC).

Vice Admiral Joshi is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College, USA, an alumnus of the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai and the prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi. He was Defence Advisor in the Indian High Commission at Singapore from 1996 to 1999.

Vice Admiral Joshi has been decorated with Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM), Yudh Seva Medal (YSM), Nau Sena Medal (NM) and Vishist Seva Medal (VSM). He is one of the Honorary ADCs of the Supreme Commander.

He is married to Mrs. Chitra Joshi and the couple have two daughters.

First Indo-Japan naval exercise on June 9

India and Japan will be holding their first ever bilateral naval exercise in China's backyard on June 9-10. The exercise comes as India is warming up to Japan despite China fretting over New Delhi's this Look East policy.

(File Photo: INS Shivalik)

The decision to hold a bilateral exercise was taken at Defence Minister A K Antony to Japan last year in November.

Update on the components will follow soon.

(Update - The Indian Navy's flotilla consists of newly inducted stealth frigate INS Shivalik, destroyer INS Rana,  tanker INS Shakti and missile corvette INS Karmuk. These four are presently on two-month long deployment to countries around South East Asia and have already paid port calls at Singapore and Vietnam. They are presently conducting exercise with South Korean counterparts and on their return journey from Japan, they would also be visiting Shanghai in China and Malaysia.

The exercise is significant as both the countries have decided to take their bilateral defence ties ahead despite concerns raised by China. India has been treading this path cautiously. So much so that it decided against making the Malabar naval exercise a multi-lateral war game including Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force after China registered a strong protest against the perceived grouping against it.

The decision to hold its first bilateral exercise was taken during Defence Minister AK Antony’s visit to Japan as both New Delhi and Tokyo asserted the need for “freedom of navigation and maintaining the security of Seal Lanes of Communication (SLOCS)”.

China has been watching this warming up of defence ties between the two countries, as China had Japan have disputes in the maritime domain like the ownership of the East China Sea islands.  The islands are controlled by Japan, but also claimed by China. Relations between China and Japan hit a low point after Japanese coast guards arrested a fishing boat captain near the Senkaku islands in September 2010 following a collision. The prized interest in the region seems to be the gas reserves near Okinawa island.

(Defence Minister AK Antony last year)

In fact, in the face of an assertive China in South China Sea, India has also sought to send a strong message by developing stronger ties with Vietnam and Japan. In Japan Antony had said: “India supports freedom of Navigation in international waters and the rights of passage in accordance with accepted principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS].  These principles should be respected by all.”)