Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

US to continue to support India with equipment

US to continue to support India with equipment

THE US will continue to support India with the equipment it needs along its border with China, a top American admiral has told lawmakers, asserting that Washington and New Delhi share a "tremendous partnership."

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on ‘Military Posture in the Indo-Pacific Region' this week, Admiral John Aquilino, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, said the military-to-military relationship between the two countries is probably at its highest point.

He was responding to a question from Senator Gary Peters.

My question for you, Admiral, is can you speak to the relationship you have with our Indian counterparts and what more can we do to strengthen our security relationship between our two countries?” Peters asked.

“I have no concerns. Our partners in India are tremendous partners, and the military-to-military relationship is probably at its highest point. We continue to do more together,” Admiral Aquilino said in response.

His remarks assume importance as India and China on Friday (11) held another round of high-level military dialogue to resolve the 22-month-long standoff in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.

Admiral Aquilino also mentioned military exercises between the US and India.

The Malabar exercise with Japan, Australia, the United States and India is critical. Increased mini lateral and multilateral engagements with the Indians, and ultimately continue to sell them equipment so we can be more interoperable and more effective together in the military sphere,” he said.

On Wednesday (9), Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing that he perceives the US-India defence relationship as one with “incredible momentum”.

He also said that the much awaited 2+2 dialogue between the two countries will take place in Washington in early April. The last meeting of the 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi in 2020. The 2+2 ministerial dialogue takes place between foreign and defence ministers of both sides.

India and the US held a bilateral 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting at the official level in September 2021 in Washington DC.

The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015. This annual exercise was conducted off the coast of Guam in 2018 and off the coast of Japan in 2019.

The exercise was hosted in two phases in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in 2020.

(PTI)

More For You

Ganpati festival

The Ganpati festival celebrates Ganesha as the god of new beginnings, and the god of wisdom and intelligence. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Hindu community centre in London damaged in fire after Ganapati Visarjan event

A HINDU community centre in east London caught fire on Saturday evening, causing major damage to the building. The London Fire Brigade brought the fire under control and confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The incident took place at the Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road in Ilford, which had been decorated for a Ganapati Visarjan event attended by members of the Hindu community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi ,Xi & Putin

Narendra Modi talks with Vladimir Putin and Xi jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

SCO declaration slams Pahalgam attack, calls for united action on terror

Highlights:

  • SCO condemns terror attack in Pahalgam and echoes India’s stance on “double standards”.
  • Leaders call for justice for perpetrators of attacks in Pahalgam and Balochistan.
  • Declaration criticises Israeli military strikes in Gaza causing civilian casualties.
  • SCO stresses UN’s central role in global counter-terrorism strategy.

THE SHANGHAI Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and agreed with India’s position that “double standards” in tackling terrorism are not acceptable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate outside the Cladhan Hotel on August 30, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

BRITISH police said they arrested five people on Saturday (30) after masked men tried to force their way into a hotel used by asylum-seekers, a day after the government won a court ruling on the use of another hotel to house migrants.

Two groups of anti-asylum protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport before some demonstrators tried to break in, London's Metropolitan Police force said.

Keep ReadingShow less
HSS (UK) celebrates five decades of shaping leaders through SSV

HSS (UK) celebrates five decades of shaping leaders through SSV

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK) has achieved a significant milestone, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its flagship leadership development programme - Sangh Shiksha Varg (SSV), with a record-breaking attendance of 605 participants supported by 139 volunteers, representing its highest attendance to date and demonstrating the enduring appeal of traditional value-based education and leadership training.

Participants travelled from 65 towns across all four home nations of the UK, whilst 167 working professionals willingly sacrificed their annual leave to serve as instructors and support teams to ensure smooth running of the camps and invest in the next generation's development.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi backs peaceful Ukraine settlement in call with Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskiy (L) and Narendra Modi

Modi backs peaceful Ukraine settlement in call with Zelenskyy

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his support for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Modi's office said.

Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address on Saturday (30), said Modi supported Ukraine's call for a ceasefire in the war with Russia and hoped that notion would be heard at the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China.

Keep ReadingShow less