Dear editor,

The Final report of the National Defense Services Commission (NDS) was released on July 29, 2024, acknowledging the five major threats to the United States (U.S.): 1) China, 2) Russia, 3) Iran, 4) North Korea, and 5)Terrorism. India was nowhere to be found on the threat list. On the contrary, according to the NDS and the White House, India is a strategic partner and one of the most critical allies of the U.S.

Deviously manipulated rhetoric from Hindus for Human Rights (aka Anti-Hindus For Hire) alleging that the U.S. considers India an adversary, backed by liberal media, has led to increasing Hinduphobia and attacks on Hindu places of worship. 

A Congressional briefing was held earlier this year on the rising Hinduphobia and attacks on Hindu places of worship, leading to the introduction of the Congressional Resolution “Condemn Hinduphobia and Attacks on Hindu Places of Worship Act” 

Fact 1: Strong U.S India Partnership 

The U.S. supports India’s emergence as a leading global power and a key partner to ensure peace, stability, and growing prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The strong people-to-people ties between the two countries, reflected in a four million-strong Indian American diaspora, are a tremendous source of strength for the U.S.-India partnership. The U.S.-India partnership is founded on a shared commitment to freedom, democratic principles, equal treatment of all citizens, human rights, and the rule of law. The U.S. and India share interests in promoting global security, stability, and economic prosperity through trade, investment, and connectivity.

Fact 2: Summary of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) Commission Report 

Created by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2022, as the National Defense Authorization Act, the Commission on NDS is an independent body assessing the 2022 National Defense Strategy. Its members are non-governmental experts in national security.

According to the Commission’s report, China and Russia are the major powers that seek to undermine U.S. influence. It recognizes these nations as the top threats to the U.S. It declares China to be the "pacing challenge" based on the strength of its military and economy and its intent to exert dominance regionally and globally. The Commission revealed that, in many ways, China is outpacing the U.S. and has primarily negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment.

Without meaningful change by the U.S., the balance of power will continue to shift in China's favor. Notably, the threats currently facing the U.S. are the most serious since 1945 and include the potential for a near-term major war. The U.S. last fought a global conflict during World War II, which ended 80 years ago. The U.S. was last prepared for such a war during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. Of note, the U.S. is not prepared today. China's overall spending on defense is estimated at $711 billion, and the Chinese government in March 2024 announced an increase in annual defense spending of 7.2 percent. Furthermore, Russia will devote 29 percent of its federal budget this year to national defense as it continues to reconstitute its military and economy after its failed initial invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Further, Russia possesses considerable strategic, space, and cyber capabilities and, under Vladimir Putin, seeks a return to its global leadership role of the Cold War.

Fact 3: Update on the U.S.-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue

U.S. and Indian officials convened on September 16, 2024, in New Delhi, India, to discuss opportunities to expand collaboration during the eighth U.S.-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue.  Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P. Royal co-chaired the Dialogue for the United States with Indian Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary for the Americas Nagaraj Naidu and Indian Ministry of Defense Joint Secretary for International Cooperation Vishwesh Negi.

The 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue advanced shared priorities, including defense cooperation, space and civil aviation collaboration, clean energy cooperation, and industrial and logistics coordination.  The officials discussed various issues across the Indo-Pacific and worldwide, including support for a just and durable peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Assistant Secretary Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Royal reiterated the United States' commitment to further enhancing ongoing partnerships and expanding people-to-people ties with India. Groundwork was laid for the Ministerial Dialogue, a key platform through which the U.S. and India continue to advance their Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership (SCA-Press@state.gov).

The NDS Commission described allies and partners as "foundational" to U.S. national security and the ability of DoD to deter and engage in combat, stating, "We wholeheartedly agree and believe that these nations are, along with the American people, the most important U.S. advantage over China and Russia. The U.S. cannot succeed in deterrence or combat without its allies and partners. Such cooperation requires moving beyond allies and partners providing access, basing, and overflight and toward demonstrating integrated and combined capability, interoperability in employing that capability, and the collective resolve to do so. We commend the Biden administration's active and successful efforts to forge and strengthen ties with foreign allies and partners. A few significant recent developments include increased defense spending by NATO and other allies (e.g., Japan), the AUKUS agreement, trilateral relations with Japan and South Korea, and access agreements in the Philippines. However, these efforts will require work and resources to operationalize. The U.S. must continue to use all tools to build these relationships. In keeping with the previous section, we recommend expanding the use of commercial and cultural relationships, financial instruments, energy policy, shared views on environmental risk, and anything else in the toolbox by which the U.S. can promote shared interests and draw contrasts with China and Russia."

Fact 4: The Quad Partnership Update (US, India, Australia, and the Philippines)

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host the fourth in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, September 21, 2024. The President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan. The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized elevating and institutionalizing the Quad, from the first-ever Quad Leaders' Summit at the White House in 2021 to annual Summits since then. In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels.

 1) US President Biden is hosting the QUAD meeting on Sep 21, 2024

 2) QUAD is a strategic security partnership in the Indo-Pacific, the most critical region for  the US

 3) India is a part of the QUAD

 4) The next QUAD meeting will be held in India

According to a statement from the White House: "The *Biden-Harris* Administration has made elevating and institutionalizing the Quad a top priority, from the first-ever Quad Leaders' Summit at the White House in 2021 to annual Summits since then. In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels." Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the US from September 21 to 23, the Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday.

During the visit, the MEA said that the Prime Minister will participate in the fourth Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, which US President Joe Biden will host on September 21. "Following the request of the US side to host the Quad Summit this year, India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025," the MEA said.

The NDS commission and the White House say that India is one of its most critical allies and that improving ties with India is the top priority. Just one day (16 September 2024), there were three high-level US-India meetings in three separate places in the US and India. The most dangerous and largest theater of concern is the Indo-Pacific due to the presence of four of the five NDS-named adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Terrorism. And the most critical U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific are India, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines. Defense cooperation between the US and India is at unprecedented levels and is sure to grow. Modi gets a lot of bad press and media attention, but he also has a decade-long record of solid and stable ties with the U.S. across the spectrum of cooperation. 

Given these facts, who should we trust? The National Defense Strategy Commission and the White House? Or the apocalyptic anti-India rhetoric from (Anti) Hindus for Human Rights that keeps promoting Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry, and the increasing attacks on Hindu places of worship? The answer is obvious. 

Geeta Sikand.