India, US reaffirm commitment to free, open Indo-Pacific

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday described the recent visit of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat to the Pentagon as “historic” and said they have reaffirmed their enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Gen Rawat’s visit to the US took place a week after the maiden in-person meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the White House during which both leaders reaffirmed the need for greater military-to-military cooperation between India and the US.