New Delhi/Washington, March 24: Emphasizing that the United States views India with deep respect, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday that the country has a proud strategic tradition, and New Delhi's decisions will profoundly shape the future of the Indo-Pacific.
"The United States views India with deep respect — as a republic of continental scale, as a nation with a proud strategic tradition, and as a country whose decisions will profoundly shape the future of the Indo-Pacific and the international landscape more broadly. Our two countries, of course, differ in important ways, including history, geography, and perspective. However, we share a fundamental conviction: that the future of Asia should be determined by sovereign nations capable of charting their own course," Colby said during a special session at the Ananta Centre.
The top Pentagon official is in India to engage with senior officials in New Delhi and help advance the critical India-US relationship.
He mentioned that the US sees India not merely as a key partner, but as an essential one in ensuring a long-term favorable balance of power in Asia.
"India's importance stems not only from its size and economic potential, but also from its geography and strategic position. Your country sits astride the Indian Ocean, which is the connective tissue of the Indo-Pacific. India possesses a long tradition of strategic autonomy and a growing capacity to shape events well beyond its borders. It is the largest republic in the world; its success thus carries profound symbolic and political weight. And it has formidable, self-reliant, and capable military forces, willing and able to shoulder significant security responsibilities," Colby said.
Citing that India's role is indispensable, the US Under Secretary mentioned that Washington's approach to the strategic partnership with India is interests-based and realistic, shaped by geopolitics and incentives, rather than vague aspirations or detached idealism.
"We clearly recognise that India has its own interests, its own strategic culture, and its own priorities, and that India is not shy about advancing them," Colby said, adding that India and US perspectives seem deeply aligned.
"External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar has termed India's approach 'Bharat First' and its strategic approach 'the India Way'. Like 'America First' and flexible realism, 'Bharat First' and 'the India Way' emphasise the centrality of a realistic approach to foreign policy, an unabashed willingness to put one's own national priorities first, and a results-oriented mindset about international politics," the US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy said.
He further stated that the framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership that US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh signed last October provides a very strong basis for progress.
"Our focus must now be on advancing forward from these important agreements to serve a larger strategic purpose: strengthening the ability of both countries to contribute to a stable balance of power in this vital region," he said.
