The US perceives India as "indispensable" for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and an essential partner for a favourable balance of power in Asia, a senior Trump administration official said.
Elbridge Colby, the US under secretary of defense for policy, highlighted a four-point agenda based on cooperation despite differences, the centrality of military power, defence industrial collaboration and "strategic candour".
Colby acknowledged that India is "not shy about advancing" its own interests and priorities and said such divergences will not come in the way of the two sides working together.
The US and India have agreed on the framework for a bilateral trade deal and Washington has slashed tariffs.
Colby listed four central planks that could drive cooperation between the US and India, including the strategic centrality of military power for a stable, favourable balance in Asia.
The US-India Major Defence Partnership provides a strong basis for progress, and this momentum is expected to accelerate with the meeting of the Defence Policy Group on Wednesday.
The US is committed to working with India to speed up cooperation in areas such as long-range precision weapon systems, resilient logistics, maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare and advanced technologies.
The US is also committed to defence industrial cooperation, and India entering the top ranks of global economies provides a strong basis for mutually advantageous collaboration in this field.
Colby argued that strong partnerships can benefit from "honesty, respect and strategic clarity", especially as the US and India "have not always been partners or even friendly".
