PM Modi’s visit to the US will set new benchmarks for bilateral ties: Pentagon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US this month will set new benchmarks for bilateral relations and big announcements are likely to be made on defense industrial cooperation and boosting India’s indigenous military base, the Pentagon said.

Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden this month. During their four-day visit starting June 21, the US President and First Lady will host Modi at a state dinner on June 22.

When PM Modi comes to Washington for a state visit later in the month, I believe it will be a historic visit that will set new benchmarks for the relationship, Under Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely said. Ratner, during a panel discussion at the Center for the New American Security on Thursday.

I think (the visit) will be remembered in a similar way to how Japan Two Plus Two earlier this year was a pivotal moment in the relationship. People will remember this visit by Prime Minister Modi as a real springboard for the US-India relationship, he said.

Ratner said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently visited India to promote a number of bilateral issues and pave the way for the prime minister’s visit to Washington by finalizing particular agreements and initiatives in which the two countries they are working.

Among the priorities is a clear strategic alignment around the issue of joint development and co-production between the US and India on the defense side. This is a priority for PM Modi to strengthen India’s indigenous defense industrial base as well as advance military modernization, he said.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Indian Indian counterpart Ajit Doval launched the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) here in January to try to bolster technology cooperation between the US and India and there is a very strong defense component in that which the two countries seek to advance.

I know there have been efforts at this in the past. Sometimes there is skepticism, will it be real this time? And my answer is, I think, all signs are pointing to yes, it’s going to be real and we’re going to have some really big, historic, exciting announcements from the prime minister’s visit in terms of particular projects around defense industrial cooperation. . Ratner said.

We are also improving our operational coordination in several different places. A lot of focus on the Indian Ocean, a lot of focus on the underwater domain, as well as new domains, space and cyber, and new efforts around information sharing, he said.

If you look at the development of the US-India relationship, it’s truly amazing how far the relationship has come in the last two decades. That is true now more than ever, she said.

Ratner said the two countries are seeing a growing strategic alignment. From our perspective, from India’s perspective, we again share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. A strong US-India partnership is a critical ingredient in making that vision a reality.

That is what both sides have understood that from the perspective of India and from the perspective of the United States, a closer partnership will be essential for the manifestation of that vision, he said.

The United States, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific in the context of China’s increasing military maneuvers in the region.

China claims almost all of the disputed South China Sea, although parts of it are claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

One of the main drivers of the bilateral defense relationship and one of the things we were talking about while we were in Delhi is this continued effort by the United States to support India’s military modernization,” Ratner said.

“The integration of our defense industrial base is more co-production, co-development, and I think it is based on the belief that a stronger India that can defend its own interests and its sovereignty is good for the United States,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed: ITP)