'Our relationship with India is much expanded': US defense secretary Lloyd Austin reflects on his 4-year tenure

The Biden Administration in the last four years has expanded America’s relationship with India, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. "We strengthened NATO. We've pulled NATO together. We've kept 50 countries focused on providing security assistance to Ukraine. The things that we've done in the Indo-Pacific. Quite amazing," Austin told reporters in Florida.

"We walked in the door, and we were about to get kicked out of the Philippines. We are 180 degrees out from that now. We have a great relationship with the Philippines, and we continue to work together in the ways that we should be working together. You look at AUKUS, which is a generational capability that is really going to make a significant difference going forward,” he said.

Austin said that America's relationship with India has improved under the Biden administration. "We walked in the door and Japan has doubled its investment in defense and the list goes on and on and on. So, despite supporting and managing security assistance to Ukraine, and also supporting Israel's efforts to defend its sovereign territory, we've been able to maintain a focus on the Indo-Pacific as well,” Austin said.