India and the US finalized an ambitious roadmap for defense industrial cooperation on Monday to accelerate technology ties and co-production of military platforms such as air and ground combat systems, a move that comes amid the increasingly stance China’s increasingly aggressive in the Indo-Pacific. .
In addition to reaffirming the roadmap two weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, in their sweeping talks, also agreed to launch negotiations on the security of supply deal. and a reciprocal defense. procurement pact to promote supply chain stability.
At a press conference, the US defense secretary said US-India cooperation is important “because we all face a rapidly changing world. We see intimidation and coercion by the PRC and Russian aggression against Ukraine that seeks to redraw borders and threatens national sovereignty.”
Austin, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday for a two-day visit, said the India-US partnership. The US is a “cornerstone” for a free and open Indo-Pacific and that the US is putting its full weight to support India’s defense modernization. .
The Pentagon said the roadmap is aimed at changing the “paradigm” of cooperation between the US and Indian defense sectors, including implementing a set of targeted proposals that could give India access to security technologies. point and support their defense modernization plans.
Singh and Austin were also reported to have referred to General Electric’s proposal to share technology with India for fighter jet engines and New Delhi’s plan to purchase 30 MQ-9B armed drones for more than US$3 billion from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
The jet engine deal is likely to be announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United States.
People familiar with the matter said both projects will be part of a roadmap that will also provide cooperation in the areas of intelligence sharing, surveillance and reconnaissance, munitions and underwater mastery.
“We established an ambitious new roadmap for defense industrial cooperation with a fast (and) high-priority track for co-development and co-production projects and to build closer ties between our defense industries,” Austin said at a conference. press.
“We hope to make progress on some of those projects during the next few visits,” he said, referring indirectly to Modi’s upcoming tour of the United States.
Describing the US-India relationship as one of the most “consistent,” he said Washington only shares technologies with countries it absolutely trusts.
“There is a growing desire for us to share them with partners here in India.”
Austin said the US-India partnership is a “cornerstone” for a free and open Indo-Pacific and that deepening ties showed how technological innovation and growing military cooperation between the two “great powers” can be a force for global good.
The US Secretary of Defense also held separate talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that both sides will identify opportunities for joint development of new technologies and joint production of new and existing systems, as well as facilitating further collaboration between the defense start-up ecosystems of the two countries. .
“Toward these goals, they concluded a roadmap for US-India defense industrial cooperation that will guide the direction of policy for years to come,” he said.
The ministry said the meeting between Singh and Austin was “warm and cordial” and the two sides discussed a “substantial range” of bilateral defense cooperation issues, with a particular focus on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation.
The Pentagon said the new roadmap would “accelerate technological cooperation and co-production in areas such as air combat and ground mobility systems; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; equipment; and the underwater domain.”
“Secretary and Minister Singh also pledged to review regulatory obstacles preventing closer cooperation between industries and to start negotiations on a security of supply agreement and a reciprocal defense procurement agreement, which will promote supply chain stability. long-term supply,” he said. .
In a series of tweets, Singh said the talks revolved around enhancing defense cooperation in various areas, including convergence of strategic interests and security cooperation.
“India-US Partnership. The US is critical to ensuring a free, open and rule bound Indo-Pacific region. We look forward to working closely with the US in all domains for capacity building and further cementing our strategic partnership,” Singh said.
The Pentagon said Austin and Singh also committed to strengthening operational collaboration across all military services, with a view to supporting India’s leading role as a security provider in the Indo-Pacific.
“They discussed new opportunities to strengthen the exchange of information and increase cooperation in the maritime domain. In this regard, Secretary Austin welcomed India’s leading role in the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA), which will provide state-of-the-art domain awareness capability. to the countries of the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
In his meeting with NSA Doval, Austin exchanged views on regional and global security issues of concern, including maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
“The secretary welcomed Doval’s perspective on shared security interests and goals, including his ideas for increased maritime collaboration,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
“In all of his engagements, the secretary underscored the centrality of the US-India partnership in maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added.
The Defense Ministry said both sides reviewed the strong and multifaceted bilateral defense cooperation activities and agreed to maintain the momentum of the engagement.
“They welcomed the recently held inaugural dialogues focused on defense artificial intelligence and defense space. They also discussed regional security issues given their shared interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
In his remarks at the press conference, Austin said that as the world’s two largest democracies, India and the US have a unique role in preserving the rules-based international order that “keeps us all safe.”
“Our global and strategic partnership has continued to grow rapidly. Today, the US-India partnership is the cornerstone for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Our deepening bond shows how technological innovation and growing military cooperation between two great powers can be a force for global good,” he said.
Secretary Austin described his conversations with Singh and Doval as “productive”
“Democracies must now unite on common interests and shared values. Preserving and protecting freedom are essential to peace and prosperity and require vigorous US and Indian leadership,” she said.
“So we still have a lot of work to do. I am confident that the US-India partnership will help ensure an open and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific and the rest of the world,” she said.
The Pentagon said Austin and Singh also discussed the growing importance of defense innovation and cooperation in emerging domains such as space, cyberspace and artificial intelligence.
“They also welcomed the establishment of the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), a new initiative to advance cutting-edge technology cooperation,” he said.
“The initiative, which will be launched by the US-India Business Council on June 21, is designed to complement existing government-to-government collaboration by promoting innovative partnerships between businesses, investors, start-up accelerators, and research. US and Indian academic. institutions,” he said.
It is Secretary Austin’s second visit to India. His previous trip to the country was in March 2021.
“It’s great to meet my friend @rajnathsingh again and thank him for his unwavering commitment to US-India defense relations. His leadership helped pave the way for deeper collaboration, joint exercises, and technology sharing between our two countries,” Austin tweeted.
In a major move, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi announced the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in May last year to elevate and expand strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation. .
iCET is expected to forge closer ties between the government, academia and industry of the two countries in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 5G and 6G, biotechnology, space and semiconductors.
Strategic and defense ties between India and the United States have been on the rise in recent years.
The two countries have signed key defense and security pacts in recent years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other’s bases to repair and replenish supplies.
The two parties also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018, which provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.
In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defense ties.
The pact provides for the exchange of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed: ITP)
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