New Delhi: India and the US have agreed to co-produce armoured infantry autos as a key element of their defence industrial cooperation, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin introduced on Friday. He mentioned the 2 sides have set an bold agenda to deepen their strategic partnership within the face of China’s rising army aggression. Austin was talking to a choose group of journalists after the ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue, the place he mentioned the US is working to expedite the supply of MQ-9B drones to India.
A joint assertion on the ‘2+2’ dialogue mentioned India and the US are creating new liaison positions to boost communication and collaboration between their armed forces. The two nations are additionally finalising a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) that can combine their defence industrial ecosystems and increase provide chain resilience, the assertion mentioned.
“Today, we agreed to move forward with the co-production of armoured infantry vehicles. We also discussed steps that we can take to strengthen our supply chain security and integrate the provision of goods and services from US and Indian firms,” Austin mentioned.
He known as the armoured automobile mission “extremely important”.
Austin was accompanied by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whereas the Indian facet was led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The joint assertion mentioned the ministers reaffirmed the ‘Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation’ as a catalyst for strengthening India’s capabilities and facilitating technology-sharing.
It mentioned the ministers welcomed the beginning of negotiations for a business settlement between General Electric (GE) Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to fabricate GE F-414 jet engines in India.
India plans to purchase 31 MQ-9B armed drones from the US for over USD 3 billion to boost its surveillance capabilities alongside the border with China and within the Indian Ocean area.
“Looking ahead, the ministers welcomed the progress achieved towards co-production and co-development of defence systems, noting their mutual interest to co-develop and co-produce ground mobility systems, as they bring the two countries’ respective defence sectors closer together while enhancing Indian capabilities,” the assertion mentioned.
Austin mentioned each side mentioned the rising safety challenges posed by China.
“We are working together on a number of things going forward. We have a common goal, a common view of the Indo-Pacific, and that is that the Indo-Pacific should remain free and open and that we should be able to sail in the international seas and fly international airspace,” he mentioned.
He additionally mentioned the US-India relationship is not only primarily based on China or the problem that China presents.
“It’s based upon, again, shared values…We have talked about a number of things to include not only military cooperation, but scientific cooperation, space cooperation, and those kinds of things,” he mentioned.
“We are stepping up US-Indian defence activities across multiple domains from space to undersea. And we are identifying new areas where we can work together to support each other’s logistical needs. And we’re making our exercises increasingly complex and realistic,” he mentioned.
The joint assertion mentioned the ministers praised the continuing advances in interoperability, noting that India and the US are establishing new liaison positions to facilitate seamless communication and cooperation between their armed forces.
“The ministers welcomed India’s full membership of the multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), headquartered in Bahrain,” it mentioned.
It mentioned the ministers welcomed additional discussions to maximise the shared advantages of the Logistics and Exchange Memorandum Agreement (LEMOA) and determine reciprocal steps.
