US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue scheduled on Friday. Indian Defence Minister (DM) Rajnath Singh welcomed him to the Palam technical area with a tri-service Guard of Honour.
Austin’s visit comes as India and the US are making great progress in defence industrial cooperation and technological innovation.
Glad to receive my friend and @SecDef Austin at Palam, New Delhi. Looking forward to fruitful deliberations during 2 Plus 2 Ministerial Dialogue and the bilateral meeting to be held tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/NUvgxUtIGC
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 9, 2023
Austin in India
According to the official readout, Austin has arrived in New Delhi to begin his ninth official visit to the Indo-Pacific region. Austin will meet with Singh as the two nations look to strengthen defence-industrial cooperation, improve interoperability between their forces, and boost innovation among their defence-industrial bases.
On Friday, Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will co-chair the Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue with Singh and Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar. Following the meeting, the top American officials will meet with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
A senior defence official told reporters at the Pentagon earlier this month, “It has been a momentous and blistering year in the US-India engagement beginning with the [U.S.-India initiative on Critical Emerging Technology] dialogue that our national security advisors convened together in January, the secretary’s visit to New Delhi in June, PM Modi’s visit here to DC also in June, and then President Joe Biden’s visit to India in September for the [G20] Summit.”
During a press briefing, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that Austin intends to focus on enhancing India’s defence modernisation plans through co-development and coproduction of key defence platforms, notably by promoting the principles stated in the Roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation.
India, US Strategic Partnership
The US and India introduced a road plan earlier this year to bolster defence industry cooperation and improve interoperability through the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem, or INDUS-X.
The road map defined critical areas for cooperation between the nation’s defence industry sectors, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies, undersea domain awareness, air combat and support, weapons systems, and mobility.
#WATCH | Delhi: During the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin says "We are meeting at a time of great momentum...In the face of urgent global challenges, it's more important than ever that the world's two largest democracies exchange views,… pic.twitter.com/1kv2haaUOP
— ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2023
During Modi’s visit in June, the US and India agreed to a partnership on critical jet engine technology, which officials hailed as an important milestone in the countries’ journey towards forging strong defence relations.
Recently, officials from the US Defence Department and the Indian Defence Ministry attended the inaugural investor strategy session under the INDUS-X strategic platform.
As per the readout, the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and Indian Defence Ministry’s Innovation for Defense Excellence (iDEX) initiated the INDIS-X Gurukul Education Series earlier this week, which will involve monthly meetings with government officials, private sector executives, and start-ups from both nations to discuss business and technology development, regulations, and investor pitches.
Austin Begins 9th Indo-Pacific Visit
Following his meetings in India, Austin will travel to South Korea and Indonesia for a series of engagements highlighting the US’ close ties with its regional allies.
In South Korea, Austin will meet with South Korean DM Shin Wonsik and other senior officials as part of the 55th annual Security Consultative gathering and the UN Command’s inaugural meeting of member nations’ defence ministers.
Austin will be in Indonesia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministerial Meeting-Plus, which will be attended by the US and ten ASEAN members, as well as representatives from China, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Every stop on this trip will highlight how the department continues to do more than ever alongside its allies and partners to deliver a shared regional vision of peace, stability and prosperity,” a senior official remarked.