An Indian Navy personnel gestures on the deck of the newly built INS Kochi during a media tour at the naval dockyard in Mumbai, India September 28, 2015. (Reuters)
The U.S. military's top officer in the Pacific urged Indian officials Wednesday to pursue even closer military ties with the United States -- part of a broader effort by the Pentagon to strengthen a relatively new partnership in the region, as China expands its military footprint in ways that alarm its neighbors.
The comments came as India has moved to strengthen partnerships not only with the United States, but with Australia, Japan and other U.S. allies in the region. India also has voiced opposition to some of China's actions in the East and South China seas, where Beijing has attempted to assert its sovereignty.
"This is ambition in action," Harris said, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, a conference in New Delhi focused on geopolitics and geo-economics. "It ensures the vision of our country's leaders by strengthening military-to-military collaboration and in the process, it will improve the security and prosperity of the entire region."
Harris's comments also came as the Obama administration's ability to curb China's ambitions have been called into question by analysts. China has installed military radar, HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets on several atolls in the South China Sea in recent months. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and other U.S. officials have said repeatedly that China's rise is not a problem, but the way it is exercising its power can be.
Carter and Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, are expected to visit India next month as the two countries continue to deeper relations. It will mark Carter's second trip to India in a year, and comes after the Navy's top officer, Adm. John Richardson, visited last month along with the heads of other navies, including China's, Russia's and Iran's.
Harris did not mention China directly in his latest remarks, but clearly seemed to call the country out.
"While some countries seek to bully smaller nations through intimidation and coercion, I note with admiration India's example of peaceful resolution of disputes with your neighbors in the waters of the Indian Ocean," Harris said. "India, indeed, stands like a beacon on a hill, building a future on the power of ideas. . . not on castles of sand that threaten the rules-based architecture that has served us all so very well."
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