Joe Biden has nominated Lloyd Austin as his Defense Secretary.The objective of the incoming Biden Administration is to continue elevating the US’ defence partnership with India, the Defense Secretary nominee told lawmakers.”If confirmed, my overarching objective for our defense relationship with India would be to continue elevating the partnership,” retired Gen Lloyd Austin told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee through his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. President-elect Joe Biden has nominated him as his Defense Secretary.”I would further operationalise India’s ”Major Defence Partner” status and continue to build upon existing strong defense cooperation to ensure the US and Indian militaries can collaborate to address shared interests,” Austin stated in response to a query submitted prior to his confirmation hearing.He stated he would also seek to deepen and broaden the defence cooperation in between India and the US by way of the Quad safety dialogue and other regional multilateral engagements.Austin stated his understanding is that Pakistan has taken constructive methods to meet US requests in assistance of the Afghanistan peace procedure. Pakistan has also taken methods against anti-Indian groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taeba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, even though this progress is incomplete, he stated.”Many factors in addition to the security assistance suspension may impact Pakistan’s cooperation, including Afghanistan negotiations and the dangerous escalation following the Pulwama terrorist attack,” Austin stated. President Donald Trump had suspended all the monetary and safety help to Pakistan in 2018 citing lack of cooperation from Islamabad in the fight against terrorism.If confirmed, Austin stated he will press Pakistan to protect against its territory from becoming utilised as a sanctuary for militants and violent extremist organizations. “Continuing to build relationships with Pakistan’s military will provide openings for the United States and Pakistan to cooperate on key issues,” he stated.Austin stated he will concentrate on the shared interests which include things like coaching future Pakistan military leaders by way of the use of International Military Education and Training funds. Pakistan will play an critical part in any political settlement in Afghanistan. “We also need to work with Pakistan to defeat al-Qaeda and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) and to enhance regional stability,” he stated.Observing that Pakistan is an crucial companion in any peace procedure in Afghanistan, Austin stated that if confirmed, he will encourage a regional strategy that garners assistance from neighbours like Pakistan, even though also deterring regional actors from serving as spoilers to the Afghanistan peace procedure.
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