Washington: The US Defence Department has recommended viewing India as a strategic partner of US and selling modern American technology and equipment to ensure interoperability between the two countries to meet any regional crisis or threats that may loom in the 2020s.

The Pentagon recommendation is on the lines of the advice of US Ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill.

The report "Indo-US military relation expectations and perceptions," said the most promising areas for cooperation are the Naval sector and the joint exercises in dense jungles and learning to flush out terrorists out of their hideouts.

Prepared by John E Carbaugh, a consultant who issues "India report" regularly for the Pentagon, the document said the US military could benefit more from training with Indians, if the exercises are held on Indian territory.

The report, which is based on interviews with scores of senior US and Indian officials, including military personnel, said, "India has a variety of landscapes, from ice-clad mountains to deserts, and it would help the Americans because military training ranges are shrinking and becoming increasingly controversial in the United States."

"For the US Navy, training with the Indian Navy is the best way to become proficient in the Indian Ocean region."

The report noted that the US Navy's elite seals and the Indian Navy's Marine Commando are planning a joint exercise to test their unconventional and clandestine warfare skills.

The first-ever air combat exercises between the best US and Indian fighter squadrons are planned in early 2004, it said.

PTI