Commentary In the 3rd century BC, the Roman poet Quintus Ennius wrote ‘Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur,’ which translated means “a sure friend is known when in difficulty.” After two millennia, this statement is now being discussed from Delhi to Washington by those who are wondering whether the current U.S. administration is really a true friend to the people of India. Recent events have Indians wondering if, rather than build on the previous administration’s whole-of-government approach to the Indo-Pacific—which perforce showed the importance of the United States and India drawing closer together—the Biden administration may instead be indulging in siloed, bureaucratic decision-making that risks undermining carefully built trust. The first major event was earlier this month when the USS John Paul Jones conducted a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in the western Indian Ocean near the Maldives. The United States has conducted similar FONOPs in the region. Unfortunately, given this …