Speeches and Remarks 2008

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Humayun's Tomb Press Availability
New Delhi India
February 26, 2008

SECRETARY GATES: It's a pleasure to be here in India.  I am looking forward to my meetings with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, the Foreign Minister.  We have a very ambitious agenda - military to military relations.  I am extremely impressed by how much the relationship has grown over the last three years since the signing of the Defense Framework Agreement in 2005.  We have a broad a range of interactions between the American and Indian military -- certainly from our side -- as we have almost any where in the world.  And I am here to look at ways in which we can further expand that relationship.  I will be happy to take a couple of questions from the American press and a couple from the Indian press.

Q. The Indians today announced a successful test of a nuclear [inaudible] submerged in [inaudible]. I'd be interested in your reaction about it, and also if there is no risk in fostering the military development of another nuclear power.

SECRETARY GATES: Well, we have to deal with the world as we find it. India is the world's largest democracy.  It is in our interest to develop this relationship, just as it is in the Indians' interest.  I don't think there is a particular risk, particularly from our stand point, in doing that.  I think that we have a lot of opportunities in the interaction with the Indians.

Q:  If the civilian nuclear deal does not go through, do you think the military to military relationship will also go down between the India and the U.S.?

SECRETARY GATES:  Well, I think that the civil nuclear initiative is a very good deal for both countries, for both India and the United States.  We certainly are hopeful that India can get done what it needs to, so that we can get it done and get this agreement completed.  But I am here independent of that to see how we can expand the military to military relationship independent of the civil nuclear agreement.

Q:  Do you think the deal will go through?

SECRETARY GATES:  I gave up forecasting the future when I left the CIA.

Q:  How have you seen the military to military relationship change?

SECRETARY GATES:  Well there are a number of areas. We already have a very ambitious schedule of exchanges and exercises that are growing in size and sophistication.  Clearly the defense trade relationship is growing.  So I think that there are a number of areas in which there is a potential of cooperation between us.

Thank you all very much.