Mistrust between China, India at all-time high, says US admiral
Washington, Mar 24: While the US-India military relationship is at its best level in years, the mistrust between China and India is at an all-time high, a top US admiral has said and alleged that Beijing's lack of transparency and duplicitous actions in the Indian Ocean region threaten stability and security there.
Admiral John C. Aquilino also commended India's efforts to protect its northern border during a months-long standoff with China.
"The mistrust between China and India is at an all-time high. In addition to the rupture of bilateral relations as a result of the LAC (Line of Actual Control) skirmish, India is deeply suspicious of Chinese activities as part of the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative," Aquilino told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday during the confirmation hearing for commander, US Indo-Pacific Command.
"China's posture initiatives in both Gwadar, Pakistan, and Hambantota, Sri Lanka, also cause India concern. As is the case across the Indo-Pacific, PRC's lack of transparency and duplicitous actions in the Indian Ocean region threaten stability and security in the region," he said in a written response to a set of questions from Senators for the confirmation hearing.
Replying to a question from Senator Deb Fischer about China's actions along India's borders and the future of the India-US military cooperation, Aquilino commended the work done by India to protect its northern border. He also highlighted the need for cooperation and working with allies and partners to build deterrence.
Aquilino said the US-India military relationship is at its best level in years, and the United States continues to experience growth in both bilateral and multilateral engagements and exercises, high-profile joint operations, and an increased number of senior level engagements.
Recent operations by the Chinese have helped highlight the threat China's actions pose to all nations, including India. "The conclusion of enabling agreements over the past several years has allowed us to operate more closely, and we are able to work together more than ever before to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said.
If confirmed, the top US admiral said, his priorities would be to maintain the momentum that has been generated by his predecessor and build information sharing and security agreements, support India's defence transformation efforts through exchanges and exercises, continue to encourage India's acquisition of US equipment to promote interoperability, and increase military-to-military contacts throughout standing dialogues, senior leader contacts, and working-level exchanges.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
