Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III will underscore the US’ persistent commitment to its partners and allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region during his ninth official visit later this week, senior defence officials said on Monday.
Austin will visit India, South Korea, and Indonesia, where he will meet with regional counterparts and participate in a series of events indicating the US’ increasing cooperation with its allies.
Visit to India
A Pentagon official said ahead of the trip, “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.”
“Next week, you will see just how diverse the region’s security architecture really is and the depth of our commitment across the board,” the official claimed.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will depart next week for a trip to India, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and Indonesia. As part of his ninth official visit to the Indo-Pacific region, Secretary Austin will travel to India to meet with his counterpart, Minster of… pic.twitter.com/1KfVGwa5Gj
— ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2023
As per the official readout, Austin will meet with Indian Defence Minister (DM) Rajnath Singh in New Delhi as the two countries work to strengthen defence industry cooperation and improve interoperability through the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem, or INDUS-X.
Austin and Singh will also address US-India defence cooperation, including bilateral exercises in the Indian Ocean and multilateral engagements with other regional allies.
In addition, the defence leaders will participate in an expanded 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi alongside US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar.
Earlier this year, the US and India unveiled their strategic partnership road plan, which outlined significant areas for cooperation, and these include collaboration on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technologies, undersea domain awareness, air combat and support, munition systems, and mobility.
Visit to South Korea
Austin will visit South Korea for the 55th annual Security Consultative Meeting and the United Nations Command inaugural meeting of member state defence ministers. Additionally, he will meet South Korean DM Shin Wonsik and other senior officials.
“While meeting with our South Korean allies, the secretary will reinforce the ironclad commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea, including through the full arsenal of our capabilities, including extended deterrence,” a senior defence official stated.
Reports suggest that the visit comes as the US and South Korea commemorate the 70th anniversary of their alliance this year. As per the sources, the alliance continues to be an “important linchpin of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.”
Austin will also honour US and South Korean veterans at a Veterans Day event while in South Korea.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken & Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will arrive in India next week for the 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi. The visit will be part of Blinken's week-long tour that will also include trips to Israel and other countries@SinghBhairavi tells pic.twitter.com/2DU7iFMAS0
— WION (@WIONews) November 3, 2023
Visit to Indonesia
Following this, the American def sec will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministerial Meeting-Plus in Indonesia, which will include representation from China, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to the 10 ASEAN member states and the US.
A defence official said, “In terms of the secretary’s engagement with ASEAN and our Southeast Asian partners, a big focus of our discussion in the plenary will be the support for ASEAN capacity building and, specifically, how we are helping with our people-to-people ties.”
Austin is also likely to address shared concerns regarding regional security during his visits.
“Whether we’re in New Delhi or Seoul [South Korea] or Jakarta [Indonesia] over the next week and a half, that’s a major through line you will see [...] We believe we are delivering results with our partners,” a defence official stated.