U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (L) and Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar attend a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the United States, Aug. 29, 2016. The United States and India on Monday signed a logistics agreement that will enable their military forces to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States and India on Monday signed a logistics agreement that will enable their military forces to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.
The move "comes just weeks after India was designated a major defence partner of the United States during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June visit to Washington," the Pentagon said.
The accord will "make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient," U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said at a joint news conference with Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar at Pentagon.
In their talk at Pentagon, the sixth between the two defense leaders, India's Major Defense Partner designation was high on the agenda, according to their joint statement.
"To this end, the United States has agreed to elevate defense trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said the statement.
Parrikar, during his second official visit to the United States from Monday to Wednesday, visited U.S. Cyber Command as well as the Air Combat Command in his Pentagon tour.
The U.S. and Indian defense relationship has been intensified recently. The two countries' forces will also hold an annual joint drill in the mountains of northern India next month.
