Mattis visits India to bolster defense, strategic ties

US Defense Secretary James Mattis’ visit to India on Tuesday comes weeks after President Donald Trump’s policy statement on Afghanistan and South Asia, in which he urged New Delhi to play a proactive role.
“The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia,” the Pentagon said.
Mattis will “express US appreciation for India’s important contributions toward Afghanistan’s democracy, stability, prosperity and security,” the Pentagon added.
Phunchok Stobdan, director of the New Delhi-based Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis, told Arab News: “The visit will focus mostly on Afghanistan and defense issues.”
Harsh Pant, distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, told Arab News: “The visit is significant because this is the first Cabinet-level visit from the Trump administration to India.”
He said: “India is becoming central to Washington’s Afghan outreach and the US, which used to be concerned about India’s role in Afghanistan, now wants New Delhi to be an important player.”
Mattis’ day-long visit is expected to focus on bilateral strategic and defense ties. He will hold discussions with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
Mattis will reportedly try to push New Delhi to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70 aircraft, a lucrative deal pegged at $15 billion.
A discussion is also expected on US giant Boeing opening a manufacturing facility in India to produce the F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft.
Sources told Arab News that a deal to sell 22 Guardian drones to the Indian Navy will likely also be discussed.
A defense source said the drone will most likely be used in the Indian Ocean to monitor Chinese maritime activity, especially submarines.
Stobdan said: “There’s a list of defense issues to be discussed. Some are old, some new. Some deals will be done and some not.”
Pant said: “By and large, the Trump administration is taking forward the defense relationship as a central pivot on which the strategic bonding between India and the US will revolve.”