On India trip, Leon Panetta to discuss next phase of defence ties

WASHINGTON: On his maiden visit to India as the US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta would focus on taking the Indo-US defence ties to the next level, besides discussing the situation in the region and the 'rebalancing' of his country's posturing in the Asia Pacific region.

"He (Panetta) would really be focusing on how we move and how we continue to move forward with that partnership," a senior defence department official said as Panetta left the US on a nine-day Asia trip, his second to the region as the Secretary of Defence.

Panetta, the former CIA chief, would visit New Delhi next week on the last leg of his Asia trip, that would first take him to Singapore where he would attend the Shangri-La Dialogue and then to Vietnam.

The objective of the trip, the official noted speaking on condition of anonymity, is to give a comprehensive account to the partners and countries what "re-balance" in the Asia Pacific region would mean in practice.

In November last year President Barack Obama had said in a major policy speech in Australia that the US was keen to increase its presence in the Asia Pacific region and play a bigger role in its development and progress.

After delivering a major policy speech on US defence posturing in the Asia Pacific region at Shangri-La, Panetta would go to Vietnam from where he would fly to New Delhi where he is scheduled to spend at least two days.

Besides holding his first meeting with his Indian counterpart A K Antony, Panetta is also expected to meet a host of Indian leadership including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is also slated to deliver a major speech in New Delhi.