U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta plans to give two major policy speeches in Asia in the coming days that will address a greater Pentagon emphasis on the Pacific and the broadening of a partnership with India, according to senior defense officials.
“We just see India as a partner with whom we have a lot of common interests and a lot of things we can achieve together — a lot of areas we can work well together,” a senior defense official said May 29.
Panetta plans to discuss the new U.S. strategic military guidance, announced in January, that puts a greater emphasis on the Pacific region and makes mention of India as a strategic partner.
“We’re really shifting to a point at which our defense interactions with India are becoming routine,” the official said. “We expect cooperation, and we’re moving to an era in which we think defense cooperation with India is just going to be on a steady roll. [Panetta is] going to be really focusing on how we continue to move forward that partnership.”
The U.S. wants to expand the relationship beyond weapon purchases to a point where interaction is routine, the official noted.
“We’re trying to have a relationship with India that is broad, strategic and continual, that is not focused on a given transaction for a given trip,” the official said.
The Pentagon is working with India on a “host of things” that will “enable technology cooperation,” and “work better with the Indians in terms of overall aligning our systems.”
The visit to India is part of Panetta’s nine-day trip, his second to the region and first visit since the Pentagon released the new military strategy. Panetta is also scheduled to give a major policy speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a meeting of global defense leaders in Singapore.
The speech at the Shangri-La summit will “give a comprehensive account to partners and everyone in the region about what the rebalance to the Asia Pacific will mean in practice,” the official said.
Panetta is also expected to meet with a number of his counterparts from the region, including defense officials from Singapore and Thailand. There is also the possibility for trilateral meetings as DoD officials finalize the secretary’s schedule.
The Pentagon’s delegation to the meetings also will include Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of U.S. Pacific Command.
Panetta also has a meeting scheduled with Locklear at Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii on the way to Shangri-La.
Panetta will spend two days in Vietnam where he will discuss several areas of cooperation with defense officials there. The senior defense official said the U.S. has a “very robust relationship” and “very healthy” military-to-military relationship with Vietnam.
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