US, India don't need to agree on everything for effective cooperation: War Under Secretary

New Delhi: The US and India do not need to agree on everything to cooperate effectively, and both countries stand to benefit from an Indo-Pacific where no single power dominates the region, under secretary of war for policy Elbridge Colby said on Tuesday. He added the US supports India's efforts to build a strong defence industrial base.

Colby said the US does not view India merely as a key regional partner but as an essential partner for a long-term favourable balance of power in Asia. The senior official, who is in India to participate in the Defence Policy Group meeting with his counterpart defence secretary RK Singh, said the larger objective should be to ensure that Indian and US forces can operate effectively together in the Indo-Pacific when their interests align.

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"Our goals should be practical: To ensure that our forces can operate effectively together when our interests align, and, in any case, to ensure that India possesses the capabilities necessary to defend its sovereignty and contribute to a favourable regional balance of power," he said at an event organised by the Ananta Centre.

Colby said the US is committed to working with India to expand cooperation in long-range precision weapons, maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, resilient logistics and other advanced technologies. He said while the potential for co-production and co-development of weapons systems is immense, the US considers India's push towards building an indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem both reasonable and necessary.

"A strong domestic industrial base enhances sovereignty and resilience. The United States supports that objective. India is well on its way," he said.