India a key player in US South Asia strategy: Pentagon

Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. McKenzie says the US is not considering military operations inside Pakistan.

India is a key player in the Trump administration’s South Asia strategy, said Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White.

“Our relationship with India is multifaceted. India is helping with respect to the South Asian Strategy,” she said at a press briefing on Thursday. “They’ve provided a tremendous amount of developmental aid.  They’ve also offered to help with aviation maintenance.”

She was responding to a question about the role of India in fighting terrorism along with the US.

“India’s a perfect example of where the secretary wants to find and build relationships with partners, and so that’s what we are doing,” White said. “And with respect to the South Asia Strategy, they are a key player in ensuring its success.”

Meanwhile, Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said the United States was not considering military operations inside Pakistan.

“We actually don’t contemplate military operations inside Pakistan,” he said. “On the other hand, we recognize, because the strategy is inherently regional and Pakistan is geographically located at a critical nexus of a lot of different things, Pakistan is a fundamental part of the strategy.”

He said that the administration is looking for Pakistan’s cooperation and assistance for operations in Afghanistan and that it is “not planning to conduct military operations inside Pakistan.”

The administration has termed India a strategic partner and a key player in the Afghan strategy unveiled last year. The United States wants to strengthen the cooperation with India in the wake of China’s growing power in the region. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had reiterated the administration’s intention to do that during a visit to India last year.