Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Pentagon, Washington DC on August 23, 2024. The Ministry of Defence informed that the leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues.
Singh highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year.
The Ministry stated that both Ministers expressed happiness on the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between India and US that was signed yesterday in Washington DC. The SOSA encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience.
They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers. India shall be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.
Both Ministers appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative and lauded the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region. They welcomed the ongoing Indian participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and noted that India shall deploy Indian Navy personnel in CMF’s Combined Task Force 150 headquarters in 2025.
The Union Minister and Secretary Austin commended the efforts of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) for establishing the Defence Innovation bridge between the two countries. They appreciated INDUS-X establishing robust networks across start-ups, industry, academia, and governments, accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and enhancing war-fighting capabilities of both sides. The upcoming INDUS X Silicon Valley Summit in September 2024 shall witness announcements of several key initiatives.
The meeting at Pentagon was preceded by a solemn wreath laying ceremony by Rajnath Singh at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Rajnath Singh landed in Washington on August 22, 2024 on a four-day visit to US. During the visit, he will also meet the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan. In addition, he will chair a high-level round-table meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations. The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
