Mullen says military relations with India vital

Washington, Jul 26: Billing military ties with India as very "vital" to Washington, top US military commander Mike Mullen has said that forces to forces relationship between the two countries are "in a very good shape".

On the verge of hanging his military boots, Mullen, Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a press briefing, his last to foreign journalists before retirement, that there was a need to take the Indo-US military relation from strength to strength.

"The military-to-military relationship between India and the United States has grown stronger and stronger and actually is in very good shape. There's very active interaction between each of the services," he said.

"Certainly, before several years ago, before I had this job, I was the head of our Navy, and the interaction, for instance, at that time between our two navies was significant. It continues to be. We continue to grow each year," Mullen said.

Responding to questions, Mullen said America's relationship with India is vital.

"It's a vital region. It's a vital relationship. It's a relationship that I think we need to make stronger and stronger. So I've been very pleased with how it has grown and look forward to that continuing to be the case," Mullen said.

PTI