A newly declassified inside doc of the outgoing Trump administration — uncommon for an incumbent to declassify a minimum of 20 years earlier than its time — highlights how India figures as a key participant within the US technique on Indo-Pacific.
The paper outlines a method primarily based on the idea {that a} “strong India, in cooperation with like-minded countries, would act as a counterbalance to China”, and that New Delhi’s “preferred partner on security issues” is Washington.
While a lot of it’s publicly recognized, the memo offers an perception into the Trump administration’s pondering and units the stage for cooperation with the Joe Biden administration scheduled to take cost January 20.
Classified as “secret” and “not for foreign nationals” by Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, the paper was declassified by NSA Robert C O’Brien on January 5.
The paper on “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific,” defines the purpose as making certain that India stays “pre-eminent in South Asia and takes the leading role in maintaining Indian Ocean security, increases engagement with Southeast Asia, and expands its economic, defence, and diplomatic cooperation with other US allies and partners in the region”.
As per the paper, the US will take motion on a number of fronts, together with diplomatic, army and intelligence, to “accelerate India’s rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security and Major Defence Partner” and to handle challenges emanating from China, together with the border dispute.
Among the steps the US proposed to undertake embrace: providing “support to India – through diplomatic, military, and intelligence channels – to help address continental challenges such as the border dispute with China and access to water, including the Brahmaputra and other rivers facing diversion by China”.
Significantly, in early 2018, US President Donald Trump endorsed a method for the Indo-Pacific developed by his National Security Council (NSC) by means of the course of 2017.
This coincided with the Doklam border dispute between India and China between June and August in 2017. The declassified memo reveals that the Trump Administration was pushing for stronger ties with India, within the face of Chinese belligerence.
The memo says that the US will “solidify an enduring strategic partnership with India underpinned by a strong Indian military able to effectively collaborate with the United States and our partners in the region to address shared interests”.
According to the doc, the US will construct a “stronger foundation for defence cooperation and interoperability; expand our defence trade and ability to transfer defence technology to enhance India’s status as a Major Defence Partner; increase our cooperation on shared regional security concerns and encourage India’s engagement beyond the Indian Ocean Region”.
The US can even help India’s bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and work “with India toward domestic economic reform and an increased leadership role in the East Asia Summit (EAS) and ADMM+ (Asean Defence Ministers Meeting”.
The memo underlines the necessity to “align our (US) Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, India and Japan”, of deepening trilateral cooperation with Japan and Australia, and a quadrilateral safety relationship with India.
Among the “desired end states” or objectives of the technique is India-US cooperation to “preserve maritime security and counter Chinese influence in South and Southeast Asia and other regions of mutual concern”, and India sustaining “the capacity to counter border provocations by China”.
“The declassification of the Framework today demonstrates, with transparency, America’s strategic commitments to the Indo-Pacific and to our allies and partners in the region,” wrote National Security Advisor O’Brien in his memo.
