At a time when US Vice-President Joe Biden is on the last leg of his ties-enhancement visit to India, American Army Chief General Raymond T Odierno arrived here to meet the Indian defence leadership, ahead of the 2014 drawdown by the western troopers from Afghanistan and amidst the increasing reports of Chinese transgressions along the LAC.
Odierno met Defence Minister A K Antony, Army Chief General Bikram Singh and Indian Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi at the South Block in Raisina Hill. While the meetings with Antony and Joshi were primarily courtesy calls, the US Army Chief held a detailed one-on-one discussion about the emerging security and strategic situation in South Asia and its immediate neighbourhood with his Indian counterpart.
Ahead of his talks with General Bikram Singh, Odierno was given a 15-minute presentation by the Indian Army on the ‘Indian Security and Strategic Perspective’, sources said.
On Afghanistan, India had a clearcut policy not to get invloved militarily, New Delhi would continue to provide all assistance to Kabul for rebuilding their nation.
The American General was informed that India was keenly watching out for ‘any other implication’ that the western forces’ drawdown in 2014 would have on Jammu and Kashmir.
With regard to the reports of transgressions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, he was told that India had not witnessed ‘any alarming change in the pattern’ of these incursions.