India-US to deepen cooperation in top defence technologies

On Monday, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met in New Delhi and discussed a number of issues of mutual interest.

The two leaders emphasized the importance of collaboration in specific niche technologies in the maritime, military, and aerospace domains to enhance capabilities.

The two also discussed increased technology transfer from the United States to India, co-production, and building indigenous capacities between the two countries in line with India’s Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

Another topic of discussion was ensuring that countries in various regions – the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, and the Indo-Pacific – retain their freedom of action in accordance with their national priorities and are not coerced into making poor decisions.

During the meeting, Doval and Austin reiterated India and the United States’ focus on reliable supply sources, resilient supply chains, and expanded industry-to-industry collaboration. They decided to take a strategic approach to global challenges by mobilizing the entire government, including people-to-people and societal relations.

The US defense secretary, who is on a two-day visit to New Delhi, met extensively with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh.

Austin stated at a press conference that India and the United States have decided to develop an ambitious roadmap for defense industrial cooperation. He also referred to India and the United States’ global strategic partnership as the “cornerstone” of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“Our partnership is continuing to grow rapidly and we are looking at expanding the defence industrial cooperation,” Austin said. On Sunday, US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in New Delhi ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington.