India-US defence cooperation greatest ever: Top US general

WASHINGTON: Underlining that India is a "key player" in the region, a top American general has said that India-US defence cooperation has always been the greatest ever but at times it gets slowed down because of the bureaucracy.

"We've always had a great relationship with the bureaucracy. For me, my experience with the Indian army, we've had a tremendous relationship. But sometimes we were slowed down by bureaucracy and so we're working through that," Gen Robert B Brown, Commanding General of the US Army Pacific Force told a Washington audience.

"So that's helping us ... We're seeing things happening faster and we're continuing to increase our military exercises with India, which is a key player in the region," he added.

"It's the greatest cooperation I've seen (...)," Brown said in response to a question at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"So it's really great. They (India) have a tremendous Army ... and working with them is a real honour," Brown said.

The top US General further said that India-US defence coopertaion would continue to grow in the future.