New Delhi: The United States has called for renewed and stronger engagement with India to reinforce security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, amid growing geopolitical challenges and Moscow’s enduring ties with New Delhi. A recent US National Security Strategy Report, released in November, emphasized India’s pivotal role in countering regional threats and highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation under the Quad alliance, comprising India, Japan, Australia, and the United States.
The report stressed that commercial and diplomatic relations with India must continue to improve, particularly in light of past trade and tariff disputes, to ensure that New Delhi actively contributes to regional security. “We must continue to improve commercial (and other) relations with India to encourage New Delhi to contribute to Indo-Pacific security, including through continued quadrilateral cooperation with Australia, Japan, and the United States (‘the Quad’),” the document stated. It also underscored the importance of aligning allies’ actions to prevent dominance by any single competitor nation in the region.
The report arrives at a politically sensitive moment, as Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The enduring India-Russia partnership has remained a focus of US strategic attention. Previous US efforts to influence India through tariffs and trade restrictions, particularly regarding crude oil imports from Russia, have failed to alter New Delhi’s approach. Putin, in turn, praised India for maintaining independent policies and resisting international pressure, reinforcing the bilateral alliance.
Beyond Russia, the report addressed broader strategic concerns. The United States highlighted the need to involve India, along with European and Asian allies, in securing access to critical minerals in Africa resources vital to technological and military infrastructure. The Indo-Pacific remains a primary focus, with the report warning that any competitor attempting to control the South China Sea could impose tolls or restrict access to one of the world’s most critical maritime trade routes, a scenario that would endanger global commerce and US interests.
To counter such threats, the report called for increased investment in military capabilities, particularly naval forces, and emphasized strong cooperation with regional partners. “This will require not just further investment in our military, especially naval, capabilities, but also strong cooperation with every nation that stands to suffer, from India to Japan and beyond, if this problem is not addressed,” the document noted.
The report also referenced recent regional conflicts, including the May skirmishes between India and Pakistan, reaffirming the US position that India played a role in maintaining peace despite tensions. The strategy underlines that collaboration with India and other like-minded partners is essential for safeguarding freedom of navigation, countering coercion, and ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term.
As geopolitical tensions intensify, the US clearly views India as a central partner in preserving a rules-based regional order, highlighting the Quad and bilateral engagements as cornerstones of a strategy aimed at deterring potential adversaries and securing the Indo-Pacific for global trade and security interests.