Washington: US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin concluded his India go to on Monday with each international locations taking new steps to strengthen their defence partnership. The significance of defence innovation remained considered one of many keynote factors of discussions throughout Austin’s go to right here, the US Department of Defence mentioned. During his conferences with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the US Secretary and his counterparts exchanged views on a variety of regional safety points and dedicated to collaborating carefully with India in help of the US shared imaginative and prescient for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
During the assembly between Austin and Singh, the 2 international locations determined to launch negotiations for 2 essential agreements associated to the Security of Supply Arrangement and a Reciprocal Defence Procurement in an effort to determine secure provide chains of arms and gear.
The Secretary and Minister Singh additionally pledged to assessment regulatory hurdles impeding nearer industry-to-industry cooperation and to provoke negotiations on these agreements, the Pentagon mentioned. Austin was on a two-day go to to India arrived in New Delhi from an official go to to Singapore.
During bilateral talks between Austin and Singh, each international locations have been capable of conclude a brand new roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation, which “shall guide the policy direction for the next few years,” in keeping with a press release by the Indian Defence Ministry assertion.
The roadmap will fast-track know-how cooperation and co-production in areas similar to air fight and land mobility programs; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; munitions; and the undersea area.
“This initiative aims to change the paradigm for cooperation between US and Indian defence sectors, including a set of specific proposals that could provide India access to cutting-edge technologies and support India’s defence modernization plans,” the Department of Defence readout mentioned.
Austin arrived in India on Sunday to bolster the key defence partnership and advance cooperation in crucial domains between India and the US forward of Prime Minister Modi’s official state go to to Washington later this month.
The Secretary and his counterparts additionally mentioned the rising significance of defence innovation and cooperation in rising domains similar to area, our on-line world, and synthetic intelligence. They praised the current launch of a brand new Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue and dedicated to increasing the scope of bilateral defence cooperation to embody all domains.
They additionally welcomed the institution of the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), a brand new initiative to advance cutting-edge know-how cooperation. The initiative, which the U.S. India Business Council will launch on June 21, is designed to enhance present government-to-government collaboration by selling progressive partnerships between U.S. and Indian firms, traders, start-up accelerators, and tutorial analysis establishments, the official launch of US Department of Defence learn.
Moreover, Lloyd Austin and Rajnath Singh additionally dedicated to strengthen operational collaboration throughout all army providers, with a watch to supporting India’s main position as a safety supplier within the Indo-Pacific.
“They talked about fresh possibilities for enhancing information sharing and increase cooperation in the maritime domain. On this point, Secretary Austin welcomed India’s leading position in the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA), which would give nations throughout the Indo-Pacific region cutting-edge domain awareness capability,” the US Department of Defence mentioned.
“In his meeting with National Security Advisor Doval, the Secretary exchanged views about regional and global security issues of concern, including maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region,” the Pentagon mentioned.
The Secretary welcomed Doval’s perspective about shared safety pursuits and aims, together with his concepts for larger maritime collaboration, it mentioned. In all of his engagements, the Secretary underscored the centrality of the US-India partnership to sustaining peace and safety within the Indo-Pacific area, the US Department of Defence mentioned.
