Gabbard Visit: India & The US Get Close

This week’s Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi was notable for many reasons: a celebration of its longevity, a useful forum to discuss the current international state of global chaos, and a chance to hear from some pivotal decision-makers.

In amongst it all was the new US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, on a flying visit to India for discussions centred on intelligence-sharing, defence cooperation, counter-terrorism, and other international threats.

Gabbard was the first high-ranking official from the US to visit since the election, and the trip is just the latest move in the decades-long US-India relationship, strengthened currently by the solid relationship between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump.

She spoke with Modi, and with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Her subsequent speech at the Raisina Dialogue outlined the current US plan for global peace. “President Trump remains unwavering in his commitment to achieving peace through a strategy rooted in realism and pragmatism,” she said.

“Securing peace through strength requires strong leadership with a clear-eyed and realistic understanding of global challenges and opportunities, a commitment to fostering cultural and economic ties that reduce the likelihood of an escalation to conflict, and a dedication to reinforcing mutual interests,” she told the Raisina audience, who naturally yearned for more details.

In the discussions with Gabbard, Rajnath Singh reportedly raised concerns over the activities of the Khalistani separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in the US and continued to push for the group to be designated a terrorist group.

While India has banned the SFJ and labeled it a terrorist group under its Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act , the US is yet to follow suit. Washington tends to use a high threshold for such designations, focusing on groups with a clear and direct link to violence or terrorism against US interests or allies.

The SFJ presents itself as an advocacy group pushing for Khalistan through non-violent legal and political means, and its activities are generally protected under the Free Speech provisions in the US Constitution.

Tensions flared between India and the US in 2023 over the apparent assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief legal advisor and US spokesperson for the SKF.

US federal prosecutors eventually filed charges against an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta, accusing him of plotting to kill Pannun, who is a US citizen based in New York.  The Indian government continues to deny any involvement in the case.

Despite the road bumps, Tulsi Gabbard’s visit comes as the US and India continue to deepen their strategic partnership. India has also indicated it was looking at deepening trade ties with the US, including a reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers under a bilateral trade agreement.

Despite this, Washington is set to impose tariffs on Delhi at the end of the month, a move sure to impact India’s agriculture and pharmaceutical exports to the US.

Outside trade, Tulsi Gabbard’s visit reinforces Washington's intent to strengthen ties with India as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region,

In defence-related tech, the two nations are looking at co-production and co-development, particularly in areas like drones, jet engines, and semiconductors.

The US aircraft engine manufacturer GE Aerospace is set to deliver the first of 99 GE-404 fighter jet engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the next few weeks, following a two-year contractual delay. In the past, such a deal would likely have been sealed with a Russian manufacturer.

The visit of a US Director of National Security to India is also being seen by analysts as a further deepening of the US-India intelligence relationship, and with a new focus on Islamic extremism in Asia as a whole, as well as the usual concerns over China’s activities in the region.  

Asked specifically about the Chinese push into the Asia -Pacific, Tulsi Gabbard told the Indian media that “we have challenges, and we have opportunities, and we have two leaders of two very important countries who will take a central role in taking on those challenges”.

Asia Media Centre