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The US-India defence relationship needs an engine to drive it, say leaders on both sides. But there are different perceptions on what that engine might be. Americans believe the engine should be the "Defence Trade and Technology Initiative" (DTTI), a high-level committee of officials from both sides that moots projects for working together, and removes bureaucratic roadblocks. In January, when President Barack Obama met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, they "emphasised the ongoing importance of the (DTTI) in developing new areas of technology cooperation", according to a joint statement issued at that time. Indian officials are focused on...

Rival Republican presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida are teaming up on Iran.The duo, along with Georgia GOP Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue, are demanding a report on Iranian military power from the Pentagon.The four senators, in a letter to Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter released Friday, highlight a deadline at the end of January for submitting the report.“In the context of the ongoing P5+1 negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran over that nation’s nuclear program and its potential military dimensions, we believe it is imperative that this report be published as...

Iraqi forces recaptured territory from advancing Islamic State militants near the recently-fallen city of Ramadi on Sunday, while in Syria the government said the Islamists had killed hundreds of people since capturing the town of Palmyra. The fall of Ramadi and Palmyra, on opposite ends of the vast territory controlled by ISIS fighters, were the militant group's biggest successes since a US-led coalition launched an air war to stop them last year. The near simultaneous victories against the Iraqi and Syrian armies have forced Washington to examine its strategy, which involves bombing from the air but leaving fighting on the...

US Vice President Joe Biden on Monday sought to end an embarrassing rift between Washington and Baghdad after Pentagon boss Ashton Carter blamed Iraqi forces for the fall of Ramadi. The White House said Biden called Iraqi's prime minister Haider al-Abadi, just hours after the US Defense Secretary's suggested the Islamic State group won control of the city because "Iraqi forces showed no will to fight," according to AFP. Biden "recognized the enormous sacrifice and bravery of Iraqi forces over the past eighteen months in Ramadi and elsewhere," the White House said. As well as rowing back Carter's comments, Biden...

Women who pass SEAL training will likely be able to participate in the same military missions as their male counterparts, beginning in 2016. The U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command put out a report saying the physical standards currently demanded of SEAL trainees should not be lowered, but that women who meet these standards ought to be given the chance to head into combat, Fox News reported. The study will likely press Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to advance the cause for women in combat, with the effective date of January 2016, Fox said. Carter has opened up 20,000 new positions to...

There was a Defense Department Briefing at The Pentagon today, where Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Gen. Martin Dempsey answered questions. Carter has a SERIOUS "Uhhhh-uhhh uhhhh-uhhhhh" speech disorder. What a moron. Did 0dungo appoint him because he is an embarrassment? Couldn't 0dungo find someone who could talk in the public arena without saying "uhhhh-uhhh uhhh-uhhhh" every other word? UHHH-UHHHHHHH UHH-UHHHHHH PATHETIC!!!!

The White House on Monday backed Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's remark that transgender people should not be precluded from military service because of their sexual identity. “The president agrees with the sentiment that all Americans who are qualified to serve, should be able to serve,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said during a press briefing. “For that reason, we here at the White House welcome the comments from the Secretary of Defense,” he added. On Sunday, Carter said he was “very open minded” about the idea of transgender people serving in the military. “I don't think anything but their...

New Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has chosen former acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning to become his chief of staff and the first openly gay man to hold the post. Fanning, currently the Air Force undersecretary, was a key member of the transition team along with Army Maj. Gen. Ron Davis that guided Carter through his Senate confirmation hearings to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. As chief of staff, Fanning will have major sway over Carter's schedule and access to his office. Davis was expected to become military adviser to Carter.

Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby, the press secretary of the Pentagon and they guy you always see explaining American military action on television, announced his sudden resignation today, one day after the new Secretary of Defense was sworn into office.

Tuesday, at Defense Sec. Ash Carter‘s swearing-in ceremony, Biden got all touchy feely with Carter’s wife, Stephanie. From the pictures, it looks like he’s whispering sweet nothings into her right ear. He’s also getting a good whiff of her shampoo. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt: Perhaps he was trying to be comforting after her spill on the ice at the Pentagon this morning while she was accompanying her husband on his first day on the job.

EXCERPT In this case, Biden said at the ceremony today he has known Ash Carter for years and, when you watch the full video (click above), it doesn't appear entirely obvious that he makes Stephanie Carter uncomfortable. In fact, she nods her head in agreement after Biden talks to her. If you watch for more than a Vine's-length, the ceremony goes on normally after the whisper seen 'round the web.

The chances of him winning the presidency are, um, slim. But what if Hillary just keeps him around a bit longer?In the financial world, inflation is defined as “too much money chasing too few goods.” In the world of political journalism, inflation is “too many pundits chasing too few scenarios.” Like the editors of Cosmopolitan struggling each month to find new sexual positions, implements, and erogenous zones, scribes are already running out of ways to chronicle the strategies and prospects of presidential contenders: “How Marco Can Stop Jeb”; “How Paul Can Block Cruz and Huckabee”; “How A Fiorina-Santorum Alliance Can...

The United States must ensure that immigrants are fully included in the fabric of American society to prevent violent ideologies from taking root at home, Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday as he opened a White House summit on countering extremism and radicalization. Joining local elected officials, community leaders and religious figures, Biden portrayed the U.S. as far better positioned than Europe, thanks to what he called America's successful record at cultural integration. He said societies must offer immigrants an "affirmative alternative" to extremism, cautioning that military force alone could not address the threat. Across the Atlantic, deadly terrorist attacks...

It didn’t take long for Tweeters to react to that photo of Vice President Joe Biden canoodling with the wife on Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at Carter’s swearing in a little earlier today. Check out some of the funnier fake captions and reactions to what is the latest in an ongoing series of photographers catching Mr. Biden getting just a little too “handsy” with a member of the opposite sex:

5 Senators who voted against confirmation of Ashton Carter as new Defense Secretary: Sen. Roy Blunt, R- Mo.; Sen. John Boozman, R- Ark.; Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Sen. Mark Kirk, R- Ill.; Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho

Full Senate confirmation vote to come as early as tomorrow.

Should the United States not send arms to help Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russia because our country would be angered if Russia armed Mexico against Texas? A strange analogy, no? But it's the one Joe Scarborough made on today's Morning Joe: "what is Vladimir Putin's response going to be to the United States arming Ukraine? Certainly I would guess no better than, you know, the Russians arming Mexico with weapons against Texas." View the video here.

Ashton B. Carter, President Obama’s choice to become his fourth secretary of defense, said Wednesday that he was “very much inclined” to provide arms to Ukraine to fend off Russian-backed rebels, something the White House so far has resisted. “We need to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves,” Carter said at his Senate confirmation hearing. In response to a pointed question from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carter said he would first need to consult with U.S. military leaders and Ukrainian officials before making a specific recommendation about what kind of weapons Washington...

Several senators returning in 2015, among them Diane Feinstein, John McCain and Joe Manchin, have already announced that they support President Barack Obama's nomination of Dr. Ashton Carter for secretary of defense. Sen. Feinstein welcomed "Dr. Ash Carter's nomination" and urged her colleagues to "move his nomination" expeditiously. Sen. Manchin, noting he "enjoys credibility" with Congress, added a caveat: Carter "will face hard questions ... about the military and security policies our government should pursue." "Should pursue" suggests to me that Manchin may harbor doubts regarding the wisdom of current Obama administration policies. Sen. McCain, who in January becomes chairman...

With the recent nomination of Ashton Carter to head the Department of Defense many observers are not only wondering how Mr. Carter will differ in style from his predecessor, outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, but also how they will differ in substance. One area in particular is the vocal commitment to which Mr. Carter, assuming his nomination successfully navigates U.S. Senate confirmation, will give toward missile defense as a significant element of the nation's broad national security apparatus. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), responsible for conducting "research, development, and acquisition" of ballistic missile defense systems for the Department of...