Defence partnership with India critical to US, says US Air Chief

WASHINGTON: The India-US defence partnership is not only critical for the United States, but is also beneficial to India, a top US air force general has said.

"I think it is a partnership that is critical to our nation overtime I think it is also very beneficial to India," the US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Mark Welsh said during a breakfast meeting of Defence Writers Group in his brief comment on India-US defence relationship.

Early this year, Welsh had hosted his Indian counterpart, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne and was very appreciative of him.

"I very much enjoyed meeting the Indian Air Chief. He is a wonderful guy and a very capable guy," Welsh said, adding that he hopes to see Browne soon in the US in the next few months.

Welsh said he plans to visit India, but no date has been decided yet.

"I think we have the opportunity to talk to the Indian Air Force to continue to develop a partnership that overtime could be very strong. I think Pacific Air Forces and the US Pacific Command are very interested in building that partnership and pay a lot of attention to it," Welsh said.