Defence minister Manohar Parrikar and US secretary of defence Ashton Carter have finalised India’s designation as a “major defence partner” of the US. This was announced in the India-US joint statement issued at the close of Carter’s visit to New Delhi. Carter is on his farewell visit to Asia as the eight-year-old Barack Obama administration prepares to hand over charge to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

• A US Congressional conference committee had on 30 November asked Carter and secretary of state John Kerry to take steps necessary to recognise India as US’s “major defence partner” in a bid to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.
• The provision also asked the defence secretary and the secretary of state for an assessment of the extent to which India possesses capabilities to support and carry out military operations of mutual interest of the two countries.
• The US administration’s move to designate India as such now needs to be formally passed by the Congress—the House of Representatives and the Senate—before US President Barack Obama can sign it as law.
• According to a joint statement issued by the two sides, the designation “is a status unique to India”.
• It “institutionalised the progress made to facilitate defence trade and technology-sharing with India to a level at par with that of the United States’ closest allies and partners, and ensures enduring cooperation into the future.