By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : A top US military official says as military-to-military contacts with India are growing, he is very positive about the continuing relationship between the two countries.
“We are in a position where we’ve had in recent years an increased number of military-to-military contacts, and I think that’s positive,” chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Michael G. Mullen told media persons Tuesday.
Noting that military-to-military contacts with India are good and growing, he said: “I’m actually very positive about the continuing and emerging relationship between the United States and India.”
With regard to Pakistan, he said the imposition of emergency rule by President Pervez Musharraf has not affected military-to-military contacts with Islamabad.
The security of Pakistani nuclear weapons does not appear to be a problem, and logistical support to US troops fighting in Afghanistan continues with no interruptions, Mullen said.
“Pakistan has been a strong ally, and we wish to see these emergency measures end soon. The situation is stable from a military perspective, but we are watchful, as we must be, because the stakes are very high and the security there affects regional security, and regional security affects global security,” he said.
Mullen said he also has the same concern about Iran. Iranian leaders’ actions and rhetoric have been destabilising not only for Iraq but also the region, he said.
“I think we would all like to see Iran take a constructive and responsible role,” Mullen said. “It is too soon to tell if, in fact, they are living up to their pledge to do so.”
Mullen said he worries about Iran because of the rhetoric coming out of Tehran, the country’s push to develop nuclear weapons and its help to insurgents in Iraq.
“From that standpoint, I think the diplomatic engagement is really important,” he said. “I am hopeful that talks will resume with them. At the same time, I’d never take the military operation off the table.
“Having the military option on the table doesn’t mean it’s going to get used. But it certainly is intended to ensure that there’s no miscommunication or miscalculation — that the potential is there and the resolve is there, though it is restrained at this point,” he said.
With the world entering an era of “persistent conflict” and “persistent engagement”, he said: “The US military must look beyond the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and press forward with a view of shaping the strategic environment.
“We need to recognise both because while this long war on extremists is generational — it will take many, many years — we also need to recognise opportunities to engage other partners’ militaries and other agencies from around the world. We also need to get at the root causes of terrorism and mitigate them.”
The admiral said he is concerned that the US military has “left strategic deterrence behind when we left the Cold War behind. And the work of deterrence is as vital now as it was then.
“I’m concerned that while there certainly needs to be a focus on the here and now, it’s not the only areas we should focus on,” he said. “It’s incumbent on all of us who lead to get above the here and now, and look to the future.”
US military thinkers need to take a close look at global strategic risk. “We must be ready for who and what comes after Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The Asia-Pacific region is of particular concern, said Mullen. “Significant security concerns persist there, with the threat of ballistic missiles from North Korea and the tensions over the Taiwan Straits.”
A peaceful, productive rise of China would be a good thing for everyone, the admiral said. “How do we help ensure that outcome and improve the military-to-military relationships we have?” The key to American military strategy is engagement and dialogue, he said.
“We must tap into that approach,” Mullen added. “We must realise and preserve our strengths in the US military while understanding and improving the things in which we are not quite as strong: cultural awareness, language proficiency, civil affairs. It really is the world we’re living in.”