;   Since 2002, India and the United States have held a number of naval, air and ground exercises, according to the report.

    The latest one is being conducted in Chaubatia, an army base in the forested Himalayan foothills near New Delhi.

    A U.S. army company of 120 soldiers from the Hawaii-based U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division are currently there training with their Indian counterparts in areas including counterinsurgency and peacekeeping.

    Besides taking classroom instruction, U.S. soldiers are firing Indian weapons, bonding with Indian soldiers over games of soccer and volleyball, and even developing a taste for vegetarian cuisine.

    The exercise is also aimed at bridging cultural gaps between the two militaries.

    Spurred by the Bush administration, which is eager to cultivate India as a partner in counter terrorism and regional strategy, the two governments have signed a number of military, commercial, and scientific agreements during the last two years and are negotiating a deal that could permit the sale of U.S. civilian nuclear technology to India.

    The warming trend is also reflected in the surge of interest in India among U.S. business leaders such as Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft Corp., who recently announced a 1.7 billion-U.S.-dollar investment in the country.

    Other indicators include frequent visits of U.S. lawmakers to New Delhi in recent months and steadily expanding commercial air links.

    In addition, a record number of Indian students -- more than 80,000 -- are studying at U.S. universities.

    U.S. President George W. Bush is scheduled to visit India for the first time in early March at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

    Last week, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said Bush's visit is "really reflective of the very significant transformation that has taken place, and is taking place, in India-U.S. relations." Enditem