NEW DELHI: India and the US will intensify ongoing efforts to “deepen the major defence partnership” between the two countries in support of “a free and open” Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said on Saturday.
The crucial Indo-Pacific, the evolving geopolitical situation and key regional security issues were focus of the discussion between defence minister Rajnath Singh and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Friday.”We shared perspectives on key strategic matters of mutual interests,” Singh said.
The discussion, after the delegation-level meeting between Singh and US secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin on measures to bolster bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration and military interoperability, came in the backdrop of China continuing to exhibit an aggressive expansionist behaviour in the South and East China Seas as well as the land borders with India.
Singh and Sullivan also discussed the ongoing bilateral defence-industrial collaboration projects, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together, an Indian official said.
Interacting with leaders of top US defence companies, Singh said India wants to work closely with their country for capability-building and abiding technology and industrial partnerships across defence domains to address emerging challenges.
“The minister emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, and is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and large domestic market,” the official said.
Pentagon, in turn, said the Singh-Austin meeting “celebrated” the progress across several bilateral defence initiatives, including efforts to increase supply chain security, enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, and leverage the new agreement to strengthen operational coordination through the posting of Indian liaison officers at US commands.
“They agreed to advance priority co-production projects under the India-US roadmap for defence-industrial cooperation. They also advanced discussions to expand cooperation in the undersea and space domains,” it said.
The crucial Indo-Pacific, the evolving geopolitical situation and key regional security issues were focus of the discussion between defence minister Rajnath Singh and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Friday.”We shared perspectives on key strategic matters of mutual interests,” Singh said.
The discussion, after the delegation-level meeting between Singh and US secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin on measures to bolster bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration and military interoperability, came in the backdrop of China continuing to exhibit an aggressive expansionist behaviour in the South and East China Seas as well as the land borders with India.
Singh and Sullivan also discussed the ongoing bilateral defence-industrial collaboration projects, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together, an Indian official said.
Interacting with leaders of top US defence companies, Singh said India wants to work closely with their country for capability-building and abiding technology and industrial partnerships across defence domains to address emerging challenges.
“The minister emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, and is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and large domestic market,” the official said.
Pentagon, in turn, said the Singh-Austin meeting “celebrated” the progress across several bilateral defence initiatives, including efforts to increase supply chain security, enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, and leverage the new agreement to strengthen operational coordination through the posting of Indian liaison officers at US commands.
“They agreed to advance priority co-production projects under the India-US roadmap for defence-industrial cooperation. They also advanced discussions to expand cooperation in the undersea and space domains,” it said.