India ‘critical anchor’ in South Asia: US defence chief
Washington: India is a “critical anchor” in South Asia and a powerful New Delhi would help maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, said US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogues in Singapore. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (left) speaks as he sits next to Bastian Giegerich, Chief Executive of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), at the Shangri-La Dialogues in Singapore, on Saturday. (REUTERS) In a speech to politicians and officials from across the region, Hegseth pointed to closer cooperation between India and the United States on naval matters and co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided munitions. “In South Asia, India is a critical anchor to hold the line. A powerful India acting in its own self interest advances our shared goal of maintaining a balance of power across the region. India is modernizing its military to carry its share of the security burden, particularly in the Indian Ocean,” said Hegseth. “It is building out the heavy industrial and logistics capacity to sustain high end military operations including the …
