India and US have resolved to further strengthen their defence and strategic ties with focus on new opportunities for bilateral defence industrial co-operation. The two countries also committed to expanding information sharing and logistics co-operation for deeper operational co-ordination between the two militaries.
These two issues were the main takeaways from the talks on late Monday between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in the US capital. Jaishankar drove down to the Pentagon for a meeting with Austin. The US has emerged as one of the biggest weapons supplier to India having sold equipment worth over 15 billion dollars in the last ten to 15 years. These include C-17 transport planes, P-8 I long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and C-130 J planes besides other weapon platforms. Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting "Defence and Security cooperation is a key pillar of the contemporary India-US partnership. We noted the steady progress in policy exchange, interoperability, defence trade, service exercises and military-industrial cooperation." "Exchanged perspectives on the Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific developments, maritime challenges and regional issues," he added. The two leaders reviewed priority lines of effort to deepen bilateral defence cooperation, as the United States and India progress toward a more advanced stage in their partnership, according to a Pentagon readout of the meeting.
Austin and Jaishankar committed to expanding information-sharing and logistics cooperation to drive deeper operational coordination between the US and Indian militaries.
"They also discussed new opportunities for bilateral defense industrial cooperation in support of India's contributions as a regional security provider, including the launch of a new defense dialogue later this year as the United States and India work more closely together across space, cyber, artificial intelligence, and other technology areas," the Pentagon said.
During the meeting, the two leaders underscored the value of the deepening collaboration between the US, India, Australia, Japan, and European partners. In this context, the US looks forward to working with India and like-minded partners to promote security, prosperity, and transparency throughout the region, including through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, the Pentagon said.
Welcoming Jaishankar to the Pentagon, Austin recollected his recent phone call with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. They exchanged perspectives on a range of issues of shared interest, spanning recent developments in East Asia, the Indian Ocean Region, and the global reverberations of the Ukraine crisis, the readout said.
The Pentagon said Austin and Jaishankar reaffirmed their commitment to working together as steadfast partners to advance the United States and India's shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
