US sees India as leader within Quad

Washington: The joint war exercise of the armies of India and the US began on Monday at the Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, an official said.

The US sees India as a leader within the Quad and is grateful for New Delhi’s role in the four-nation grouping, a top White House official has said.

The remarks by Mira Rapp-Hooper, White House National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania, came two days ahead of the Quad summit, comprising leaders from Australia, India, Japan and the US.

“When it comes to the role that we expect India to play, we expect and indeed see India as a leader within the Quad,” she said on Thursday.

The best encapsulation of the way the US thinks about India’s role is captured in Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, she added.

Since the release of the Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, the US has taken historic strides to advance its vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. “...we say that the United States seeks an India that is increasingly a leader in the region and increasingly a partner with the United States,” Rapp-Hooper said.

“Through the Quad, we are increasingly working on projects in South Asia, which, of course, is a huge strategic priority for the government in Delhi, and we’re grateful for India’s leadership,” she added.

US President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit on Saturday.