Indo-US military engagement set for an upgrade

The US Pacific Command's newly appointed chief Admiral Timothy Keating has said that he would seek to complement the US administration's current strategic initiatives with India, with "a military-to-military program characterized by increased dialogue and more frequent and sophisticated exchange and exercises." The admiral made this assertion in response to a question from the US Senate Armed Services Committee as part of his confirmation hearings.

With a vote of 16-0, a panel of the US Senate confirmed Admiral Timothy Keating as the new head of the US Pacific Command. He replaces Admiral William Fallon, who is set to take over as the new head of the US Central Command.

Keating's previous assignment was as commander of the US Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) based in Colorado. Keating's nomination continues a 60-year tradition of naming Navy admirals to the post.

In response to specific queries from the Senate panel about US-India military-to-military relationship Adm Keating said, "Our militaries need to continue to build trust and confidence and become more interoperable. We should establish agreements and procedures that will allow us to build shared doctrine and communications architectures." (See transcript below.)

The Pacific Command is the Pentagon's largest global command and covers more than half the globe from the West Coast of the United States to the east coast of Africa, including the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Keating moves to his Hawaii-based command even as tensions run rife in the region. China and Taiwan hostilities are now at a heightened state, North Korea has successfully tested a nuclear device and old-time political and military ally Pakistan is threatening to come apart at the seams.

The US is now showing signs of being increasingly suspicious of the Pakistani military dictatorship's perceived duplicitous game in providing sanctuary to Al Qaeda and Taliban forces. The fact that the Pakistani regime, a quasi-military dictatorship, is under increasing threat with civilian protest snowballing against its actions, adds another element of volatility to the region.

In his submissions before the Senate panel the admiral would appear, however, to have sidestepped a more pointed question regarding the organisational links between terrorist outfits operating in Afghanistan and India, by stating that he had not yet "sufficiently studied the situation to determine relationships between the groups."

Given the tensions simmering in the region, the Pentagon has announced plans to shift more military assets, including submarines, ships and aircraft, to the Pacific.

Early on his career, Keating commanded a carrier group based in Japan and later the Navy's 5th Fleet during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After serving as director of the Joint Staff, Keating became commander of the US Northern Command in 2004.

Incidentally, with Keating's nomination, the US Navy is set to head three of the five US military commands. While Fallon becomes the first admiral to head the US Central Command, Admiral James Stavridis heads the Southern Command.

The Central Command's area of operations stretches from western Africa to Central Asia, including Iraq and Afghanistan, which makes him a key figure in embattled President Bush's war team.

With tensions simmering just below the surface, right across the region that now comes under his operational purview, Keating can look forward to an eventful assignment.

Extracts from Admiral Keating's answers to advance questions during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).

India

SASC: What is your view of the current state of the US-India military-to-military relationship?

Adm. Keating: President Bush has emphasized the US partnership with India as among the most important in the region. If confirmed, I would seek to complement strategic initiatives with a military-to-military program characterized by increased dialogue and more frequent and sophisticated exchange and exercises.

SASC: If confirmed, what specific priorities would you establish for this relationship?

Adm. Keating: If confirmed, my priorities for the US-India military-to-military relationship will be increasing the scope of exercises and exploring opportunities for expanded cooperation in peacekeeping, disaster response and maritime security. Our militaries need to continue to build trust and confidence and become more interoperable. We should establish agreements and procedures that will allow us to build shared doctrine and communications architectures.

SASC: What relationship, if any, do you believe exists between the armed groups conducting terrorist attacks in India, and the armed groups conducting attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan?

Adm. Keating: There are reported organizational relationships between armed groups conducting attacks in India and Afghanistan, specifically among Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT/LeT), al-Qa'ida (AQ), and the Taliban. However, I have not sufficiently studied the situation to determine relationships between the groups.