US commander flags concern over rising 'coercion and aggression' in Indo-Pacific

New Delhi: The India-US defence partnership has a unity of purpose to maintain peace through strength, Admiral Samuel J Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said on Sunday even as he complimented the Indian military for displaying restraint during Operation Sindoor.

In an interaction with a small group of journalists, Paparo flagged serious concerns over the Indo-Pacific region witnessing increasing "coercion" and "aggression", in an indirect reference to China's military muscle-flexing in the region.

The senior military commander, currently on a visit to New Delhi, said India and the US have convergence of interests and both sides are looking at further bolstering the defence and military ties especially in the maritime domain.

Admiral Paparo said the US-India defence relationship is on a "steeply upward trajectory" and it is set to expand further.

"We think our partnerships have an exponential effect on deterrence, because it demonstrates a unity of purpose among us to maintain peace and a peace through strength," he said.

"I think as our policy leaders are managing the relationships, it's the duty of our military leaders to keep a close eye on capability and to be ready to contest that capability at any moment," he said.

Elaborating on changing character of warfare and an increasingly contested international commons, he said both India and the US are committed to work towards peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Indo-Pacific region is home to 60 per cent of the world's population, it comprises over 60 per cent of the world's GDP and seven of the world's 10 largest militaries hail from the region, he said.

"Of course, there are concerns, but we deal with those concerns with the growing partnerships that come to the prism of this mutually respective, respectful, sovereign relationship between the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy," he said.

The focus of the US-India partnership has been to maintain peace, through strength and deterrence, he said.

Paparo said both the US and India are committed to the principles of sovereignty, freedom of navigation and freedom of seas.

"We applaud India as a great net contributor to security of the Indian Ocean region," he said.

Paparo said the two sides are also looking at boosting maritime security cooperation including in the sphere of undersea domain awareness.

The senior American commander lauded the Indian military when asked to comment on Operation Sindoor.

"We applaud the restraint that was exhibited...I think all peace loving nations were concerned when we see operations of this kind," he said.

To a question on Pakistan's use of Chinese military hardware including missiles, Paparo did not give a direct reply but noted that constant vigilance and readiness was necessary to deal with such situations.

It is important to maintain a strong deterrent posture, he said without explaining.

To a question on lessons to be learnt from Operation Sindoor, Paparo said there are lessons to be learnt from every single operation. He said he saw deep commitment by the Indian military to learn from the operation.

The US military officer also responded to a question on what the US can learn from the operation."What we saw is that complex long range weapons have complex long range kill chains."