Ash Carter's Visit to India Appears to Have Been a Win-Win

Dalbir Ahlawat

Security, India

Yet, India's clear intention to retain its strategic autonomy reflects its apprehension that U.S. strategic interests may shift elsewhere.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's three-day visit to India last week proved historic in the sense that a non-aligned India stepped closer to signing a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement.

The two sides also reached an understanding on some other security related measures. These included: a new bilateral Maritime Security Dialogue; enhanced military engagements and exercises at a more advanced level; naval discussions on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare; the exchange of information on commercial shipping traffic; and two pathfinder projects. Taking note of these positive developments, Carter stated that the India-U.S. relationship is destined to be one of the 'defining' partnerships of the twenty-first century. 

What gives credence to such understandings and statements is the convergence of U.S. and Indian interests in the evolving geo-strategic paradigm of the Indo-Pacific region. Specifically, this is the result of China's claims over the South China Sea, its declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea, and its demonstrations of its air and naval muscle intended to restrict freedom of navigation and degrade the rules based order.

Against these developments, Carter's visit to India was aimed as a signal to China that, in addition to alliance agreements with Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, India—the dominant power in the Indian Ocean (with control over choke points like the Malacca Strait)—is also on the side of the United States.