US does not share its best weapons with everyone, defence ties with India built on trust: Sergio Gor

The United States does not sell or co-manufacture its most advanced military equipment with every country, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has said, describing Washington’s defence partnership with New Delhi as one built on “incredible trust” and extending well beyond arms purchases.

Gor said India was among the countries Washington trusted with advanced defence technology, pointing to the Javelin anti-tank missile system and Apache helicopters as examples of the expanding relationship. He said the US considered working with trusted partners such as India an important opportunity and indicated that several other defence initiatives were in the pipeline.

Beyond defence sales

“Our defence relationship is not just about sales. It’s also about trust,” Gor said in an interview with India Today. He stressed that the US did not simply provide its best military equipment and technology to countries across the world, making the growing partnership with India significant.

Gor cited the Indian Army’s move to acquire the Javelin anti-tank guided missile system as an example of the deepening relationship. Following the signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the system, Tata Advanced Systems Limited signed an agreement with the Javelin Joint Venture — a partnership between Raytheon and Lockheed Martin — to explore co-production of fully assembled Javelin missiles in India.

The proposed collaboration will examine final assembly and integration of the missiles as well as production of components in India. Such cooperation could bring additional manufacturing expertise and technology into India’s defence industrial ecosystem while supporting New Delhi’s push to increase domestic defence production.

Military exercises deepen ties

Gor said bilateral defence ties were also strengthened through sustained military engagement, noting that India conducts more military exercises with the US than with any other country. He pointed to the upcoming UDAWAS bilateral exercise in Rajasthan as another example of cooperation between the two armed forces.

The envoy said Washington intended to continue expanding defence engagement with New Delhi, with arms sales, technology cooperation, co-production and joint exercises forming important parts of the relationship.

Gor also linked the wider bilateral partnership to the personal equation between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing their relationship as a genuine friendship. He said the rapport between the two leaders remained an important element underpinning broader India-US ties.